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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721937">Incandescent Obsidian</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreeRathbone/pseuds/BreeRathbone'>BreeRathbone</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Auror Draco Malfoy, Auror Harry Potter, Auror Hermione Granger, Dark Draco Malfoy, Draco Malfoy &amp; Harry Potter Friendship, F/M, Family, Friends With Benefits, Growth, Hate to Love, Mystery, Slow Burn, Smut, Tall Draco Malfoy, four years later</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:21:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>28,237</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreeRathbone/pseuds/BreeRathbone</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the war, restoration both physically and emotionally took place. Hermione Granger left behind her best friends for four years, assisting internationally with the damage Voldemort had made and retrieving her parents' memories. Draco Malfoy made an unlikely friend in his long-time enemy, Harry Potter, and gained a job as an Auror for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. With Harry and Ginny's wedding on the way, Hermione returns to transfer from the Department of International Magical Cooperation to the MLE. As she gets used to Harry's strange new friendship with Draco, she is thrown into their ongoing case of unsolved murders. Together they must uncover the truth of the mystery at hand and battle their own internal feelings.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter &amp; Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The letter fluttered in her hand, threatening to escape with the wind that pulled past the kitchen window. She smiled, her heart feeling full of excitement for her best friend. If she was honest, she’d been expecting this letter for three years now. But she also knew why it had been postponed.</p><p>It had only been four years since the end of the war that had taken up the majority of their schoolyears, and training for jobs to bring the Ministry and Wizarding World back to normal had been at the forefront of their concerns. For the first three years, Hermione had been hired on in the Department of International Magical Enforcement to help restore damages that had been caused all around the world. She’d been everywhere from America to China; fixing magical governments, repairing physical damages, and identifying deaths at the hands of Voldemort and his followers. He had done far more than she thought.</p><p>In the past year, she had finally gathered up the courage to see her parents again. It had been a project of hers, to learn how to restore the memories of those who had been Obliviated. And she had done just that. It was a relief to know her parents remembered her and to tell them everything that happened. They’d decided to stay in Australia, so she gave herself a year with them. This letter had come just in time.</p><p> </p><p>Dear Hermione,</p><p>We miss you so much! How are your parents doing?</p><p>As we’ve been wanting to do this for a while now, I’m sure this comes as no surprise to you. Ginny and I are getting married. Soon. Things have been in the preparations for a month now, and we are sending this letter to ask two things of you.</p><p>First, Ginny would like to know if you will be her maid of honour. Second, when you come to the wedding, can you never leave again?</p><p>This can be further discussed in person, but as Head Auror I will do anything to get you a position in my department. You’re greatly missed, Hermione. And your talents would do the MLE wonders.</p><p>You can think on the second question, but Ginny needs your answer almost immediately for the first.</p><p>Love you lots,</p><p>Harry</p><p> </p><p>Hermione folded the parchment and nodded to herself. She would be packing up her belongings a week sooner than she'd planned, but she didn’t mind. Harry didn’t need to convince her further to stay in England, she was far too homesick. Despite this, she would admit her hesitation lingered in the back of her mind when was reminded of Harry’s new friend.</p><p>Draco Malfoy had snaked his way into her friend group without her, and she had no idea how. Harry told her briefly how he’d changed in his pure-blood beliefs, but that was the extent of it. Knowing the white-blonde prat, he was probably just as annoying as ever. More than that, she knew what was imprinted on his left arm, what made his decisions smoky that last year of the war. It was hard to believe he could turn around and change within a year’s time, and she really doubted he had.</p><p>There would always be that aversion to loyalty he’d displayed over the years, the cowardice she’d witnessed since first year. The word <i> Mudblood </i> frequented his tongue too often for her to see him changing how he viewed magical blood. And it had almost always been directed at her.</p><p>With a sigh, Hermione pushed Malfoy out of her head. Worst came to worst, she would just ignore the Slytherin. Right now, she had other matters at hand. She needed to say her goodbyes to her parents so she could get home before dark.</p><p>--------------------</p><p>Draco threw the butt of a cigarette on the cement and rubbed it beneath his black suede oxford. He released his last breath of smoke, letting it filter around him. Grimmauld Place’s stone walls stood in front of him, but he lingered longer than he should have in the too-green garden. The backdoor opened and a woman with long red hair stood in the doorway, hand on her hip.</p><p>“Draco Malfoy, I know you aren’t just standing out here when you could be enjoying my fresh lemonade.”</p><p>“Ginerva Weasley,” he smirked. “You have become far too much like your mother.”</p><p>Her eyebrows raised on her freckled forehead as she gasped. Draco tried to dodge the soft punch that came swinging at him as she stepped forward, but she grazed his arm nevertheless.</p><p>“Take it back,” she huffed.</p><p>“Okay, I take it back.” Draco smothered the smirk and let his usual indifferent mask slide back up. “I was enjoying a smoke.”</p><p>“I promise you my lemonade tastes better than that rubbish.”</p><p>“A matter of opinion,” he mused before holding open the back door for her. “Will you get inside? Dinner will be ready any minute now.”</p><p>Ginny didn’t seem amused as she shoved past him. With a snort, Draco followed her into the kitchen that made his stomach rumble. He didn’t see the girl sitting at the table, he was too entranced by the smell that met his sensitive nose.</p><p>“Italiano,” he murmured and peeked over Harry’s shoulder.</p><p>“Your favorite,” Harry grumbled. “Ginny insisted despite her fiancé begging for beef stew.”</p><p>“What, Potter? Did you think you were the star of the show? I don’t know where you would get that idea.”</p><p>Ginny giggled and came up to hug Harry as he stirred the pasta. Draco shuffled back awkwardly.</p><p>“We serve our <i> guests</i>, Harry.”</p><p>“He’s hardly a guest now, he comes over every week.”</p><p>Draco stared at the stacked garlic bread, remembering the first time he came to dinner. Harry had invited him hesitantly, but Draco knew it was because it meant taking a step closer to friendship. Harry trusted him, had since he spoke at his trial and Draco approached him. He never doubted Draco’s intentions of bettering himself. Not like Draco did. They'd had Italian then, too. Ginny always asked new guests what their favorite cuisine was.</p><p>“And he could come every night if he wanted,” Ginny interrupted his spiraling. She had caught on to Draco’s distant expressions. Knew that he was doubting himself.</p><p>He nodded a silent thanks and turned to take his seat at the table, but was disappointed to find someone already sitting in it. He faltered in his movements and froze. She looked different and the same all at once. Her hair was as curly as it had been the last few years of school, manageable but still a part of her. Her big brown eyes kept the innocence in her face alive and her full lips surrounded the teeth she had grown into. </p><p>Granger. The Gryiffindor Princess, a third of the Golden Trio, and one of Harry’s best friends. She’d been gone for so long and the last time he had seen her was at the Battle. Memories of sneers, disgusting nicknames, and her soft fist causing so much pain came rushing back to him. </p><p>“Oh, it must have slipped my mind,” Ginny spoke in a rather unconvincing tone. “Hermione’s finally back home!”</p><p>Hermione looked at him like she didn’t know him. And she would be right in that observation. Draco didn’t know what Harry had told her, but as far as she was concerned, he was still a slimy Death Eater. Just like he was to the majority of the wizarding population.</p><p>“Malfoy,” she finally spoke. Her voice was tense but he could hear the melody of it, drifting down his ears and clenching his soul. She was inevitably better than him in every way possible. First in her class, the brightest witch of her age, Draco had always been second behind her. But it wasn’t just that. Hermione was so <i> good</i>. Always had been. Even a muggle could see how much that contrasted with Draco’s character.</p><p>Draco cleared his throat, releasing the tension in his shoulders as much as he could. He didn’t want to be hostile. He knew that she would be the hardest person to convince that he wasn’t going to turn around and throw a Crucio at someone.</p><p>“Granger,” he replied.</p><p>“We didn’t know she was coming until this afternoon,” Ginny attempted to keep conversation going. “I guess we should have told you.”</p><p>“Why?” Draco questioned and unbuttoned his jacket. “I think I can handle a room of three Gryffindors.”</p><p>He tried to keep his natural sarcasm as light as possible, but it was hard when Hermione was watching his every move like he would hex her. He slipped his arms out of the black suit jacket and draped it on the back of the chair across from her.</p><p>“So,” he said as he sat down. This was going to be awkward. He wished they <i> would </i> have told him. Maybe then he could be eating takeout on his sofa instead of trying to think of ways to start a conversation with the girl who still hated his guts as far as he could tell. “I heard you were working for the Department of International Magical Cooperation?”</p><p>Hermione’s eyes shifted from where Draco’s hands loosened the emerald tie that sat on his neck. He watched as she tapped a finger against the edge of the table. A nervous tick, he presumed.</p><p>“Not anymore,” she replied. Draco couldn’t tell if she hesitated because she didn’t know what she could tell him or because she didn’t want to talk to him.</p><p>“She’s actually transferring,” Harry intervened and sat next to Draco as he levitated bowls of pasta in front of them.</p><p>“Oh?” Draco’s unsure eyes flicked between her warm ones. “Tired of traveling?”</p><p>Maybe it was too soon to joke with her. Too soon to tease her like he did Potter and Weasley.</p><p>“No.” It was blunt. Forewarning.</p><p>“Hermione’s done some great work helping to restore international affairs and the damages done across the world.” Ginny sat next to the brunette and smiled reassuringly at Draco. She knew he was trying.</p><p>“So I’ve heard.” Draco fidgeted with his black lighter beneath the table, swinging the metal open and closed as his thumb grazed over the engraved Malfoy crest. Hermione’s eyes fell to his unseen hands at the sound of it. With a sigh, he dropped it onto the table and folded his anxious fingers together under his chin. “What are you planning on doing now?”</p><p>Hermione stared at the lighter, then his hands, and finally back into his eyes. Her guard was so obviously up, but so was his. The exchange was like a snake and a lion squaring off, one ready to strike if he was left defenseless and the other ready to attack if she needed to protect herself.</p><p>“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that, Malfoy.” Harry’s hesitant voice caused Draco to pull out of the unforeseen staring contest. “I’ve been speaking with some of the other lead Aurors and we agree Hermione’s skills would benefit the MLE well.”</p><p>“Other lead Aurors,” Draco said pointedly. “Not me.”</p><p>“Yes, well–”</p><p>“Harry is Head Auror,” Hermione interrupted. “I don’t think he needs to gain permission from someone who isn’t even involved.”</p><p>“Not even–” Draco began to scoff, but Harry could see the argument beginning to brew between them.</p><p>“Hermione, wait. I have to discuss this with both of you. I knew you two would act like this, so I didn’t want to say anything that would change your mind, Hermione. Or cause you to get distracted, Malfoy.”</p><p>Draco followed Hermione’s confused gaze to Harry. He could tell he wouldn’t like what Harry was going to say.</p><p>“Draco is an Auror, Hermione. I got him the job not long after his trial.”</p><p>“An Auror?” Hermione exclaimed. “Are you kidding me, Harry? Have you lost your mind?”</p><p>Draco tensed up instantly, his fists clenching the napkin in front of him. Ginny flitted her hand across the table to touch his. Hermione didn’t miss this. If possible, her eyes widened more.</p><p>“Hermione!” Harry scolded. “Draco is one of the finest Aurors we have. Please don’t treat–”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” she continued. “Have you forgotten <i> everything </i> he’s done?”</p><p>“Honestly, Hermione?” Harry gripped the table. “Yes. Yes, I have.”</p><p>With Ginny’s comforting rubbing and Harry’s defense, Draco felt himself calming down. She had a right. Hermione only knew him during his crazed pure-blood beliefs. What she said wasn’t anything different than what everyone else had been saying. But it still was.</p><p>“Draco Malfoy came to me in a time of need,” Harry said with a calmed voice. “He humbled himself and asked for help, not just for himself, but for his mother. After I spoke at both their trials, he approached me and he told me he no longer believed in his father’s truths. Did it take me awhile to trust him fully? Of course. But Hermione, you’ve been gone for four years. In that time, Draco has proved to me that he doesn’t think the same way he did before, and that this change has been taking place in his mind since sixth year. Is he the best and friendliest bloke? Hell no.”</p><p>Draco rose an eyebrow at his friend, trying his hardest not to give in to a smile.</p><p>“But that’s just who he is. And if you take the time to get to know him like Ginny and I have, you will see who he <i> truly </i> is. He’s someone who’s always cared about his family and their safety. It’s what provoked his actions in sixth year. It’s what made him so wishy-washy with loyalty between good and evil. He won’t tell you these words himself, but that’s what I see when I look at the man I know now.”</p><p>Hermione held an unwavering gaze with Harry, and Draco could see the furrow in her brow. Even Draco knew Harry wouldn’t have said all those things if he didn’t think he had to. Hermione wouldn’t have opened herself up more had it not been for those words. She placed trust in her best friend, who placed too much trust in Draco.</p><p>“That being said,” Harry sighed and Ginny pulled her hand away from Draco. “I gave Draco a job as an Auror and he has proved himself a thousand times over in the field. Does he still receive the hate not so unlike what you just showed? Yes. But I know how hardworking and intelligent he is. Honestly, he’s the best one on the team so far.”</p><p>“If that were true,” Draco finally spoke. “We wouldn’t be having such a problem with this case.”</p><p>“That’s not one person’s fault, Malfoy.” Harry took a deep breath. “That’s why I asked you to join the team, Hermione. We need your help with a particularly difficult case, but that can be discussed Monday. I just wanted to let you know that we’ll be a team. This requires you two to at least be cordial with one another. Please.”</p><p>Draco nodded once at Harry, both in a thanks for the much-too kind words and the favor he’d asked of them. As much as he dreaded working with Hermione Granger, he could hardly argue with the man who had defended him yet again.</p><p>Hermione’s lips pursed as she looked between her two friends, who held faces of honesty. After a few minutes she nodded, dragging her gaze down to her food. They ate in silence for a while before Ginny finally gained the courage to start chatting about her Quidditch team. Hermione asked the appropriate question here and there, but she didn’t talk to or even look at Draco for the rest of dinner. </p><p>----------</p><p>He stood too quickly. His stupid, too-tall body acted like he couldn’t be around her for one second longer as Ginny piled the dishes together to take them to the sink. Hermione watched him as he stretched, the black dress shirt he wore tightening around his stomach. She could see the outline of toned muscle through it. It angered her.</p><p>He looked too perfect, just like he always did. Except now he’d grown into his genes and he didn’t look so doomed and depressed as he had the last few years of school. His too-blonde hair had grown out slightly, flopping in lazy waves at the top of his head, but it was still flawless. The grey in his eyes wasn’t so stone cold anymore. He looked like a million Galleons and she was sure she looked like a dead rat compared to him.</p><p>Hermione wasn’t expecting him to come over, she didn’t realize the couple’s friendship with him had been close enough for weekly dinners. So, when he walked right into the house, messing around with Ginny and Harry as if it was natural, she’d been thrown for a loop. He looked like he belonged. And that was the strangest part of it all.</p><p>Draco was putting his jacket back on and Harry was telling him something about work, something Hermione couldn’t decipher yet. Ginny walked back from the sink and rubbed between Draco’s shoulder blades as the three of them said their goodbyes. That was another thing that baffled Hermione. How comfortable Ginny was around him, and how comfortable he was with her touchy habits. She’d given him reassuring pats during Hermione’s outburst, motherly gestures.</p><p>The two of them cared for Draco. Hermione could see that now. Could hear it in Harry’s defense and Ginny’s actions. Guilt swept its way into her bones despite her ever-present hesitation towards Draco.</p><p>Draco was making his way towards the back door with Harry, and she realized she didn’t say a word. Hadn’t since ‘after everything he’s done?’ And not once since then had he retaliated. He was walking on eggshells around her, she could tell.</p><p>Her eyes landed on the lighter, a telling sign of his uneasiness. It was Hermione’s turn to stand too quickly. Draco and Harry were already at the back door and Ginny was washing up the kitchen. Her fingers slipped around the lighter and felt the weight of it. It was expensive. As she was sure everything Draco owned was.</p><p>Hermione sighed and jogged to catch up to the two men, but Harry was already walking back. She did not want this in her possession longer than it had to be. Ignoring Harry’s confused look, she rushed past him and out the door. Malfoy was buttoning his jacket, preparing to Apparate. She saw his shoe twist in preparation, saw the readiness in his too-long leg.</p><p>“Wait!” she called without thinking. She could have just given it to Harry to give to him. But that was childish. Malfoy stumbled slightly, the first break in his perfection. His eyes met hers instantly, and they stayed there.</p><p>“I– uh…” Hermione shook her head, forcing her thoughts to come together. She walked up to him, taking deliberate and careful steps. “Your lighter.”</p><p>Her hand shook as she held it in her upturned palm and she didn’t know why.</p><p>“Oh,” Draco breathed. He sounded off-put. “Thank you.”</p><p>Hermione wished she would have thrown it at him, because when he grabbed it and his long fingers grazed her hand, an obvious shiver ran through her. They seemed to linger there longer than they should have, but that might have been her imagination. The glint of the moon on his rings caught her eye. She took a harsh step back and snatched her hand away.</p><p>“Goodnight,” she muttered and turned quickly. She felt his eyes on her until she let the door shut behind her and didn’t hear his crack of Apparition until she was back in the kitchen.</p><p>“He forgot his lighter,” she said to her friends’ questioning eyes. Without further discussion, she helped Ginny clean up. They soon finished and made their way to the sitting room.</p><p>Hermione slipped into the big chair near the fireplace, holding onto her freshly made hot chocolate. Harry’s idea. Her best friend and his soon-to-be wife cuddled on the couch, smiling at her.</p><p>“How’s Ron?” Hermione questioned once they were settled, attempting to push any more talk of Draco away for the moment.</p><p>“Oh, he’s great.” Harry nodded and squeezed Ginny’s shoulder. “He’s working at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes with George as a co-manager.”</p><p>Hermione smiled at that. George needed that. She couldn’t imagine what it was like for him, losing his other half. </p><p>“How are your parents?” Ginny asked.</p><p>“Good,” Hermione sighed. “While I spent my first three years away working, I was also studying how to get their memories back.”</p><p>“Sounds like you,” Harry smiled.</p><p>“Yes, well it paid off. I got their memories back and they remembered me as if nothing ever happened.” Hermione looked down into her mug. “It’s the best feeling in the world and I wish I could give back everyone’s loved ones.”</p><p>“Hermione…” Harry frowned. “I know how you feel. For the first two years, I was the worst. No matter what I did, no matter the fact I got Head Auror and everywhere I turned I was praised for my efforts, I hated myself. I felt, and even now I still do, that I should have died. It should have been me instead of all those that died for me, for the war.”</p><p>“And then I remind him,” Ginny stepped in and massaged the back of his neck. “I tell him that if he had, the world would be much worse off and even more people would have died. Those that did knew what they were doing. They knew what was right. That’s all that we can hope for.”</p><p>Hermione saw Ginny’s eyes tear up a bit and she knew she was thinking about Fred. His smile flashed before her eyes and her heart clenched up. Tonks, Remus, Dumbledore, everyone. They all peeked into her memories and held on. But that was okay. She didn’t ever want to forget them.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>If it were up to Draco, he’d spend his whole day in his giant bed. The gray sheets and soft emerald blanket created a sort of nest for him that he never wanted to leave. It didn’t help that he hardly got an ounce of sleep when the sun <i>was</i> down. Horrid dream after dream kept him for gaining any rest. </p>
<p>That meant it was another coffee day for him. And if he wanted that, he had to drag himself out of his flat sooner than he preferred. It’d become a routine of sorts. Have an awful night’s sleep, get up early enough to get a shot of espresso so he could survive the day, work for hours upon end, either go to Potter’s for good dinner or find what he could manage in his rarely used fridge, shower the day away, and repeat.</p>
<p>Blaise would tell him it was unhealthy how he lived his life. While he wouldn’t be wrong, Draco didn’t really give a damn. It was better than wallowing in his mistakes and dark thoughts.</p>
<p>His wand gave off an ungodly beeping sound, signaling him to wake up. If only that ever actually worked. Draco groaned and took the wand off his bedside table, flicking it to end the alarm. He kicked his way out of the warm embrace of his mattress and got ready for the day.</p>
<p>Once he was dressed in his usual well-tailored, black suit pieces; which consisted of trousers, a dress shirt, and a jacket, he made his way out the door. He stomped further into his black, suede oxfords and held onto his deep maroon tie as he walked into an alley next to his flat. Draco turned quickly, his crack of apparition sending him into dizzy motions when he landed in a different alley.</p>
<p>He shook his head once and continued to the café. He stopped right outside of it.  Muggles piled out the door in a line and he cursed quietly. It would take too long for him to get a coffee and make it to work on time. Mumbling grumpy phrases, he tied his tie around his neck.</p>
<p>As Draco was securing his silver cufflinks, a familiar voice exited the shop and came towards him. He looked up to glare at Potter, but faltered when he saw the curly-haired witch next to him. Hermione was dressed to the nines in a fitted white dress top tucked into a figure-hugging black skirt that reached the middle of her thighs, which were covered in sheer, black tights. Draco struggled to keep his mouth closed. Luckily, it passed off as anger.</p>
<p>“Don’t be so upset, Malfoy.” Harry was smirking as he held out a cup of coffee to him. “I noticed you were running a bit late, which either meant you actually got some sleep or you lost track of time. Judging by the look on your face, I’ll assume the latter. Figured I’d go ahead and get you one so I wasn’t forced to deal with your grumpiness all day.”</p>
<p>“D-did you–”</p>
<p>“Extra shot of espresso,” Harry confirmed. Draco was thankful he cut him off, because his stuttering was unbecoming of his nature. He wrapped his fingers around the warm cup and let his eyes drift back to Hermione, who looked tense once again. Her eyes were focused on his neck, which caused him to feel there.</p>
<p>“Representing the Gryffindor house today, I see.” Draco narrowed his eyes at Potter’s tease and straightened his tie.</p>
<p>“First thing I grabbed,” he muttered. “Thanks for the coffee.”</p>
<p>Draco offered a nod towards Hermione in hopes to ease some of the awkwardness and tension. She gave the slightest of nods, almost nonexistent.</p>
<p>“No problem,” Harry replied and sipped from his own cup. “Shall we get going?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-----------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hermione stood quietly in front of the bulletin board, examining all of the connections and evidence that had been presented so far. It was all so <i>confusing</i>. They’d given her a rundown of everything that had happened and what they knew. As far as they could tell, there was nothing specific connecting the actual victims other than how they had died. </p>
<p>Her eyes found the pictures of Dark Marks on pale skin easily. They were sloppy, she could tell that much. It was an attempted remake of the spell Voldemort had made. Questions upon questions filled her thoughts as she turned to look at the two men in the office with her.</p>
<p>Harry sat at his desk with his head in his hands, the cheeriness from this morning faded into stress. Draco paced between the closed door and the desk, hands in his pockets and lips twitching.</p>
<p>“The murderer is killing them with the Dark Marks?” she finally asked.</p>
<p>Harry didn’t respond, lost in his own thoughts. Draco stopped and looked at him as if he wanted him to answer her. When he didn’t, Draco met her eyes hesitantly.</p>
<p>“That’s what the autopsies have confirmed,” he said.</p>
<p>“Obviously,” she sighed and motioned towards the reports on the board. “What I mean is… how?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” he confessed. </p>
<p>“Well how did you get the Mark?”</p>
<p>The question caused Draco to tense up, his eyes burning into her. Harry cleared his throat and finally spoke.</p>
<p>“That’s beside the point, Hermione.”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not,” she argued. “It’s actually right on point. The Dark Mark is being replicated; we need to know how.”</p>
<p>“Hermione–”</p>
<p>“I’m the only one,” Draco stopped Harry with deep and rumbling voice. Hermione waited for him to continue, to make sense of his comment. “I am the youngest remaining Death Eater; the others got their Marks years before. I’m the only one alive with the knowledge of how He did it…”</p>
<p>Hermione watched the tall and brooding man for a moment, realizing this was the first thing he had said in reference to his past to her. The long fingers of his right hand wrapped around his left forearm and her eyes followed the movement.</p>
<p>“If that information got out,” Harry continued for him, “it would cause disastrous things to happen.”</p>
<p>“Isn’t that what’s already happening?” Hermione crossed her arms. “The information is already out, someone’s doing the same thing.”</p>
<p>“It’s <i>not</i> the same thing.” Draco sighed and walked up to her, causing her to freeze, but he simply brushed past her to slam a finger on one of the pictures. The Dark Mark stood out against his pale hand. “That is not the Dark Lord's doing, and it’s not his curse. This Mark doesn’t cause the recipient to be loyal and obedient. As a matter of fact, the recipient has no <i>choice</i> in taking on this Mark. It’s different. Whoever’s doing it kills them with it.”</p>
<p>Hermione stared up at him, his height forcing her to crane her neck back. She noticed how he still referred to him as "Lord." Draco glared at the board, unaware of her eyes.</p>
<p>“The Dark Mark can kill those who are unwilling,” she said pointedly.</p>
<p>Draco whipped his head to look down at her, understanding her unspoken comment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fists clench. Hermione’s jaw set and she tightened her crossed arms.</p>
<p>“If you’re asking why it didn’t kill me,” he spoke slowly. “I wasn’t unwilling.”</p>
<p>Hermione scoffed and shook her head, but before she could say anything, Draco continued.</p>
<p>“I did it for my family. I did what I thought was right in order to keep my family intact. To keep them alive.” His eyes bored into hers, storms of grey. “I won’t explain myself further to you, it’s a rather useless venture.”</p>
<p>The venom in his voice hit her and flowed through her thoughts. Harry cleared his throat once again, breaking their eye contact. He was looking at Hermione with disappointment and she felt that guilt hit her once again. She knew Harry trusted Draco, but she couldn’t help to question the man she always knew as the enemy.</p>
<p>“I’m…” she sighed in reluctance as she avoided Draco’s eyes. “Apologies. I just think knowing how Voldemort did it would help our case.”</p>
<p>Draco visibly flinched at the use of the dead man’s name. Hermione watched him walk to one of the chairs that sat in front of Harry’s desk and plop down.</p>
<p>“I agree, Hermione.” Harry ran a hand through his messy hair. “It’s just not safe. We’ll have to figure this out without that knowledge on display. Now, since you’re caught up on what’s happening and it’s lunch time already, I’m going to go pick up some Chinese take-out for us. Please don’t set my office on fire.”</p>
<p>Hermione was about to offer to pick up the food so that she wasn’t left alone with Draco, but Harry was already out the door. Her teeth clenched as she shifted awkwardly in her heeled boots. Draco still sat in the chair and his leg shook tellingly.</p>
<p>She pursed her lips and went to rest against the side of Harry’s desk, staring at the board. Hermione could feel Draco’s eyes on her from the side, but she tried to focus on what stood out among the clues.</p>
<p>“You still don’t trust me,” he broke the silence rather quickly. Hermione held her breath and kept her eyes straight ahead. “I don’t blame you… I just want to let you know that you can.”</p>
<p>He snorted almost immediately at himself and she furrowed her brow.</p>
<p>“Well, you can trust that I don’t believe you and I are so different anymore.”</p>
<p>“Is that all I can trust?” Hermione asked despite herself. Her voice was quiet, almost a whisper.</p>
<p>“That’s all I expect you to trust,” his voice rose with him as he stood. “That’s all I trust within myself.”</p>
<p>“Why’s that?” She still kept her eyes ahead of her, refusing to look at him. “Do you plan on hurting my friends?”</p>
<p>“Not intentionally,” he admitted. “And definitely not physically. I’m just a… naturally untrustworthy guy.”</p>
<p>“Then why should I trust you at all?”</p>
<p>“Because we’re working together.” Draco stepped in front of her, forcing her to see him. He towered over her with grey eyes that seemed to look through her. His blonde hair waved just above his eyebrow, teasing it. “I don’t want you to look at me like… like <i>I’m</i> the killer.”</p>
<p>The vulnerability in his voice took the breath from her. She gripped the edge of the desk, noticing how small the office was suddenly. He took a step forward and she wasn’t sure why. He looked unsure of his own movements.</p>
<p>“So?” Draco rose a perfect eyebrow and she felt the air rush through her open mouth, <i>tasted</i> him on her tongue. Cedar and mint, with a hint of sweet smoke.</p>
<p>“Um… what?” Hermione responded dumbly. The smallest of smirks lifted the corner of Draco’s lips, something she shouldn’t have noticed unless they were too close.</p>
<p>“Do you trust me as much as I’ll allow?” At this proximity, his deep voice resonated through her. She didn’t fail to notice the specificity in his question.</p>
<p>“Y-yes,” she said without thinking. That was an answer she really should have thought over. But she doubted she would have changed it if she had.</p>
<p>Draco’s chiseled cheeks seemed to suck in as he pondered her answer. He didn’t expect it. She could tell by the furrowing of his brow and slightly pursing lips. He leaned back and, as if there was an instantaneous pull between them, she lifted herself from the desk. </p>
<p>“Aw, come on guys!” Harry’s voice dissolved the newfound and pulse-pounding tension. Hermione hadn’t heard him enter. “I was gone for like five minutes, please don’t fight.”</p>
<p>“It’s okay, Potter.” Draco dragged his gaze from her to the ruffled wizard carrying bags of food. “We were just coming to terms with our inevitable cooperation.”</p>
<p>Hermione watched as he went to help Harry with the lunch. She didn’t like the feeling she was getting. It wasn’t hatred, it wasn’t annoyance, and it wasn’t even anger. It was almost like curiosity. The simplicity of it was eating her alive.</p>
<p>“Oh.” Harry looked between the two of them with surprise written all over his face, but also what looked like relief. “That’s good.”</p>
<p>Draco and Harry laid out boxes of fried rice, various flavors of chicken, egg rolls, and sauces. Hermione’s stomach grumbled at the smell of it all. Harry sat behind his desk and Draco took one of the two chairs at the front of it. Hermione nibbled on the inside of her lip before sitting down next to him in the remaining chair.</p>
<p>Harry passed her a pair of chopsticks and Draco was already chewing on some chicken. Hermione watched him for a moment in her peripheral vision. You’d think he was starving.</p>
<p>“Skip breakfast?” Harry chuckled. Draco made sure to swallow before answering, a habit of his proper upbringing peeking through.</p>
<p>“You saw I was late getting coffee,” Draco pointed out. “Plus, I’m bigger than you. I need more nutrients, Potter.”</p>
<p>“Barely,” Harry scoffed. “Only in height, you giant.”</p>
<p>“He’s not wrong,” Hermione observed as she popped a piece of broccoli into her mouth. The two swiveled their attention to her. “What? I’m just stating the obvious. He’s both taller and more… muscular than you.”</p>
<p>Harry pouted and slipped out of his jacket so that he could roll up the sleeve of his shirt. Hermione giggled as he showed off the muscles in his arm, not noticing Draco’s gaze still on her.</p>
<p>“Show her yours, Malfoy.” Harry nudged Draco with slight aggression. “We aren’t that different.”</p>
<p>Draco looked at Harry with an annoyed expression before slipping out of his jacket. Hermione watched, transfixed, as he undid the cuff off his right sleeve. His long fingers seemed to take their time in rolling it up to his elbow. Tattoos showed themselves as he did so; one on his wrist, one just before the crease of his elbow, and one on the inner side of his forearm. Hermione didn’t take the time to see what they were because the visible and strong veins in his arm made themselves known. She felt her mouth gaping, but she didn’t bother to shut it.</p>
<p>“See, not different.” But even Harry’s voice sounded unsure of himself. </p>
<p>Draco’s eyes flitted up to Hermione's, and she could see the way he examined her reaction. She wanted to pinch herself for being so obvious in her surprise. While she’d never actually seen these parts of Draco, she'd always pictured him as nothing but a lanky man underneath his far too expensive clothes all those years. Upon seeing him for the first time in a while, she could tell he’d gained some strength, probably from training as an Auror. But it was far different seeing it not covered up by well-tailored suits.</p>
<p>“Um,” Hermione coughed her way back to reality. She forced herself to look at Harry’s arm, which was strong, but not lean. The way Draco’s veins contoured his arm showed his strength without being overly muscular. “Harry you’re strong, probably as strong as Malfoy… But…”</p>
<p>“Don’t finish,” Harry groaned. “I get it, he looks the part.”</p>
<p>Hermione laughed in relief, glad for the conversation to be over. Draco’s eyes penetrated her resolve, but she focused on eating. He took too long to roll down his sleeve once more. Harry moved on to a different topic, talking to Draco about dinner or something. Hermione wasn’t really paying attention.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>--------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They sat in the garden, huddled around a firepit that lit the darkness around them. Two cushioned outdoor sofas surrounded it; one seated Harry and Ginny who were far too touchy for Draco’s liking, the other held Hermione’s small form. She curled into the corner of it, staring into the fire. Draco stood to the side, using his cigarette as an excuse for not sitting down in the only spot left.</p>
<p>The day had been long, with no progress. As usual. Draco sighed at the thought of not getting anywhere without the death of another poor soul. Hermione looked up at the sound, watching him blow smoke into the flames before them. Draco watched her. She'd changed into more comfortable clothes since she'd been home; a lilac jumper and black leggings. </p>
<p>“What’s wrong, Draco?” It was Ginny that spoke. They all had cups of tea in their palms, but Draco’s was sitting on the edge of the pit.</p>
<p>“This case,” he sighed. “I was just thinking… It’s impossible we’ll get anymore information without someone else dying.”</p>
<p>Harry frowned into the fire because he knew he was right. Hermione pursed her lips; Draco could see the fullness of them grow. He knew what that meant. Years of watching her thinking and answering question upon question in classes taught him that.</p>
<p>“There’s one way…”</p>
<p>“Hermione–” Harry started.</p>
<p>“No, I know.” She glared into the fire. “It’s too dangerous.”</p>
<p>“The only reason the information is safe with me is because I’m skilled in Occlumency,” Draco said. “If anyone tried to use Legilimency on me, I could stop them. Also, if the information is centered to one person, it has a less likely chance to get out.”</p>
<p>“It’s not like Harry or I would let it get out,” Hermione scoffed, her eyes finding his.</p>
<p>“No,” Draco met her gaze. “But Harry is a shite Occlumens and if the information was given to him, it would be in more danger because of his notability.”</p>
<p>Harry huffed at Draco, but eventually nodded. “He’s right. I was never good at it.”</p>
<p>Hermione pondered for a minute, but before she could voice her thoughts, Draco stopped her.</p>
<p>“No. Not happening.”</p>
<p>“You don’t even know–”</p>
<p>“I do know, Granger.” Draco dropped the butt of his finished cigarette in the pit and turned to fully face her. “You haven’t practiced Occlumency at all, someone would have to teach you. Moreover, even if you did know the basics, it takes a long time to master to keep information that someone wants badly enough safe. There are so many reasons why it wouldn’t work, Granger.”</p>
<p>“You think I can’t do it?” Hermione stood quickly, though it didn’t do much to appear threatening to him since her head only reached his chest. The doubt in her skills as a witch triggered her, he knew. Especially coming from someone who had always doubted her abilities and right to be a witch.</p>
<p>“That’s not what this is about, and you know it.” He narrowed his darkened grey eyes.</p>
<p>“Then what is it about?” she challenged. “Because it sounds to me like you don’t think I have the skills it takes to master Occlumency since I’m not a pureblood. Since I’m a <i>Mudblood</i>.”</p>
<p>The short silence after her accusation was deafening. For a moment, Draco forgot about the two people that sat across the fire. His expression transformed into many within the seconds it took for him to respond. </p>
<p>“That word never left my mouth.” His voice was quiet. He could feel the anger pulsing through him, as much as he tried to control it.</p>
<p>“For once,” she said with a glare.</p>
<p>It only took one step for him to tower over her, for his chest to graze her chin with every heavy breath he took. He felt her tremble, but he couldn’t stop himself.</p>
<p>“That word hasn’t left my mouth for <i>years</i>. And it won’t leave my mouth ever again.” Draco heard shuffling from the other sofa, but he couldn’t be bothered to look away from Hermione. “I don’t know how long it will take to prove that to you, but don’t you <i>dare</i> accuse me of thinking you aren’t as talented or skilled as me. It took years for me to master a skill that prevents me from feeling things when I don’t want to. We don’t have the time on this case for you to master it. I don’t <i>want</i> you to master it. It’s not a healthy habit.”</p>
<p>“Oh,” she scoffed with some hesitation. “And you’re suddenly worried about my health for what?”</p>
<p>“Granger,” Draco warned. His fists clenched at his sides, and he knew she could feel it because his rings caught in her jumper as he did so, but they didn’t pay attention to it. “Trust me when I say the darkness that caused me to learn such a skill is not something I wish upon anyone.”</p>
<p>“Trust,” she huffed. The word had become something between them, and he didn’t know how to feel about that. “You told me not to do a lot of that.”</p>
<p>“Guys,” Harry’s voice hesitantly interrupted their fuming match. “Let’s not be so… threatening.”</p>
<p>Draco’s face faltered, but it wasn’t due to Harry’s words. He swallowed, coming back to himself, and carefully unhooked his rings from the threads of her jumper. Hermione watched him do so. The anger in him faded as he pushed it away, locking it in a box and hiding it under some other feelings.</p>
<p>“Why don’t we stop talking about work?” Ginny offered in an attempted cheery voice. “After all, we need to discuss wedding plans!”</p>
<p>Hermione cleared her throat and stepped back from Draco, who’d already shuffled back some steps. She faced the red-head and offered a smile. Draco kept his eyes on Hermione.</p>
<p>“Yes, of course. Who’s the best man to my maid of honour? I assume Ron?”</p>
<p>The awkward silence that followed her filled his bones with tension. He was feeling that an awful lot lately.</p>
<p>“Uh, well.” Harry laughed uneasily and scratched the back of his head. “Ron didn’t want it. He’s been distant some since Draco’s been coming around more often. He still hates him, but we’re still friends. I think he also hates the idea of that attention on him… and the responsibilities.”</p>
<p>“Sounds like Ron,” Hermione offered a hesitant laugh. Draco ground his teeth together, waiting for the outlash. “Who is it, then?”</p>
<p>Harry, instead of being his stupid Gryffindor self, simply nodded shamefully at Draco. Draco rolled his eyes at his friend’s cowardice, though he didn’t blame him for fearing the fiery witch. He watched Hermione’s face cautiously as she processed the information. Her eyes found his once again, disbelief etched in them, before swiveling her head back at Harry.</p>
<p>“You’re <i>kidding</i> right?”</p>
<p>Harry shook his head and grabbed Ginny’s hand, who looked a little scared herself. Draco sighed, twisting his rings back into place.</p>
<p>“That’s great,” Hermione said bluntly. “That’s just perfect actually.”</p>
<p>Draco didn’t believe one word that left her awfully distracting lips.</p>
<p>“<i>Honestly</i>, I cannot get one break from him. Work, home, and now <i>this</i>?”</p>
<p>Draco would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt a little bit that she was so angry at having to be near him. Yet, he also couldn’t blame her frustration with coming back to her friends, only to find the man she hated and who had hated her all those years involved in every aspect of their lives.</p>
<p>“Sorry for the invasion,” he muttered darkly. He couldn’t help it. The anger flowed through his veins like black smoke, sucking up all the good in him. “I’ll be going, now.”</p>
<p>Ignoring Harry’s pleas, Draco walked towards the maze of the garden, where the fire’s light didn’t reach. He kept his hands in his pockets as he did so. He didn’t know why he didn’t apparate as soon as he was out of sight, but he felt like he just needed to walk off the irritation. It was probably for the best, so that he didn’t splinch himself.</p>
<p>Draco stopped just outside the entrance of the maze, debating on entering it. Ginny had planted it during their first year living at the house, and she’d put some really beautiful, intricate work into the design. He sighed, fingers trailing against the outside hedge. He was probably only there for a minute or two before he heard jogging footsteps behind him.</p>
<p>Despite himself, he whipped his wand out and turned to face the approaching person. Casting a nonverbal <i>Lumos</i>, the flushed face of Hermione came into view. She stopped abruptly when she saw his wand aimed at her.</p>
<p>Cursing under his breath, he flicked the wand down and dimmed the light. Hermione seemed to ease at the action and stepped closer so that they could see each other better in the darkness.</p>
<p>“I feel like I’m doing this a lot,” she admitted. “But I’m sorry… for how I acted.”</p>
<p>Draco watched her curiously, his heart rate slowing down from when he’d acted in defense. Hermione’s eyes stared at his chest, but he could see the uncertainty in them. A stray curl fell just before her face and he had a sudden urge to push it back. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to scold himself.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry, too.” Draco cleared his throat when he realized his voice was too quiet. “I get… I shouldn’t have…”</p>
<p>“It’s okay,” she confirmed. She didn’t let him finish, but he knew that she knew what he was trying to say. They stood there, quiet for too long.</p>
<p>“I have to–”</p>
<p>“I’ll see you–” he started at the same time as she did. Hermione let loose a laugh, tucking her own hair back. Draco flexed his fingers at the movement, his body warmed by the sound.</p>
<p>“Tomorrow, then,” Draco finished for them both. She nodded, nibbling on her lip in a motion that made him want to pull his hair out. Once she’d taken a step back, Draco apparated with a clear mind.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been a week of occasional bickering, somber lunches, and no further progress. The upside was that there had been no more killings yet. An upside for the lives of witches and wizards, but a downside for the case. There was no set number of days between the murders, so the next one could come any day now. Harry and Hermione had settled into Draco’s belief that there would be no more clues until another death occurred, if that would even help.</p><p>Hermione hated that mindset. It went against every fiber of her being, and she strived for another answer. So, she’d begun to do extensive research, looking for all the information she could gather to present her idea to the two men. It was Friday now, and the three of them were packing up for the day. Draco had his own office, as well, but since he was on a case with the Head Auror, he had decided it was better just to stay in Harry’s. Hermione didn’t have an office, just a cubicle to her name. She hadn’t even touched it yet. </p><p>Draco hadn’t come back to dinner since that Monday night, when Hermione had accused him of doubting her abilities. Despite her apology to him, and his strange return of one, Hermione felt that it was because of her. They hadn’t really said another word of direct insult to each other, just misdirected frustration due to the case.</p><p>If she wanted her plan to work, she needed to tell them today. She needed him to come over for dinner. But she didn’t want to ask him. That’s why, when Draco had gone to use the loo an hour before they were getting ready to leave, Hermione had convinced Harry to ask him. Harry was confused, trying to figure out why she wanted him over, but had agreed nevertheless.</p><p>“Draco,” Harry spoke up as the tall blonde was stuffing a designer silver pen into the inner pocket of his jacket. “Hermione wanted me to ask you to come over for dinner tonight.”</p><p>Hermione blanched as dread and betrayal filled her bones. Staring straight at the man with jet black hair, she decided she was going to commit murder in three easy seconds. She could feel the blood spreading across her cheeks as Draco looked at her.</p><p>“I–” she started in a fluster. “I did not.”</p><p>Harry rose an eyebrow and slipped his jacket on. “Yes, you did. You said, ‘Harry, could you pretty please ask Malfoy if he would come over to the house tonight? For dinner!’”</p><p>“Shut up,” Hermione warned. “That is <i>not</i> what I said.”</p><p>Harry opened his mouth to argue once more, but she stopped him.</p><p>“That’s not what I meant.” Hermione huffed and looked right at Draco, who had a devilish smirk across his face. It caused her to falter for a moment. “I have something I want to tell you two… about the case. That’s why I asked.”</p><p>“And why not just tell us now?” Draco rose an eyebrow.</p><p>“It would just be better,” Hermione sighed. She didn’t want to try to explain herself, she just wanted him to say yes. </p><p>“Okay,” Draco said as he released a deep breath. The relief and appreciation that filled her was soon replaced with annoyance at his next words.  “Although next time I’d like to hear the request from your lips.”</p><p>Hermione glared at him while Harry chuckled quietly behind her. Draco merely winked. His teasing fashion becoming too comfortable around her. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag before walking out the door. Sometimes working with two children got frustrating.</p><p> </p><p>Draco was late to dinner. Hermione didn’t know if it was a purposeful act or not until he walked through the back door in agitation. She watched him from where she was sitting on the kitchen counter as Harry stirred a pot next to her. Draco didn’t seem to notice her as he yanked his long coat off and threw it onto a chair.</p><p>“Draco!” Ginny smiled as she walked in from the living room. “I didn’t know you were coming over!”</p><p>“Hermione invited him,” Harry said with a mischievous smile. Hermione glared at him again, about to pinch him under his arm when she felt Draco’s rigid eyes on her.<br/>She shifted and pulled her yellow plaid skirt further down her thighs, crossing her legs at the top of her knee-high socks. The black turtleneck she wore did nothing to stop her chills as his grey irises roamed her outfit change. Hermione was never comfortable in her work clothes, so the second she got home she would change. She had a feeling he judged her for that; the way he was always dressed so proper.</p><p>“That was so nice of you, ‘Mione!” Ginny interrupted the invisible conversation. “I’ve been meaning to ask Harry to call you over, again. This week has been so hectic, with the wedding planning and all. And–”</p><p>Ginny’s stop in talking caused Hermione to look at her, finally pulling herself away from Draco’s intense staring. Ginny looked from the blonde to her, an eyebrow raised.</p><p>“Draco,” she hesitated. “Are you okay?”</p><p>Harry turned around at the change in topics and also abruptly stopped in his actions when he saw Draco’s face. Maybe it was because Hermione didn’t know him well enough, or because her friends had picked up on certain clues over the years of knowing him, but she could tell they knew something was wrong with him.</p><p>Draco seemed to force himself to blink, but the second his eyes shut, they didn’t open. Hermione let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding since he’d looked at her. Ginny rushed up to him and wrapped an arm around his back, rubbing there. Harry hurriedly poured a cup of tea; no cream, no sugar, just honey. Hermione watched as he lifted Draco’s pale hands and cupped them around the drink. With the warmth and Ginny’s physical comforting, Draco finally opened his eyes again. Hermione noticed she was gripping the counter, perched on the edge.</p><p>He avoided looking at her, she could tell by his downcast attention. He nodded at Harry and Ginny in thanks, following Ginny’s motions to sit down. Harry frowned and sat across from him. Ginny looked up from her worrying and met Hermione’s eyes, confusion laced through the red-head’s. </p><p>“What happened, Draco?” Harry was examining everything about the tall man that sat in front of him. Hermione thought he was looking for a clue. Since he’d walked into the house, she could tell something was wrong, but she couldn’t help to think she was a part of that frustration.</p><p>“Mother,” she heard Draco mumble. He was far too quiet, so she hopped down from the counter, unconsciously edging closer. “She was having one of her moments again.”</p><p>“What did she say?” Harry questioned.</p><p>Hermione was right behind the white-blonde hair of her childhood enemy, practically hovering.</p><p>“She told me…” Draco’s voice was somehow getting quieter, as if he only wanted Harry to hear. “That she wishes it was me in Azkaban instead of… Lucius.”</p><p>Hermione heard a shocked gasp. It wasn’t until Draco had swiveled in his chair and was looking right at her, almost at eye-level with her, that she realized it had come from her. His grey eyes hardened and he stood instantly.</p><p>“I’m sorry–” she started, but Draco was shoving past her. The pain of his shoulder bumping into hers wasn’t what hurt. It was the intention behind that roughness that really made her wince.</p><p>Hermione turned quickly to watch him walk out the back door once again. Before she could make a move, Harry was at her side.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” he said with a sigh. “He’s just going to have a smoke. He’s… vulnerable with that kind of information.”</p><p>“How could she say something like that to her <i>son</i>?” Hermione looked between a frowning Ginny and a solemn Harry, anger rising in her belly without a solid reason why.</p><p>“She doesn’t mean it,” Harry answered. “Narcissa’s been going through some terrible and triggering memories where she thinks Lucius is innocent and she sees him as her husband, and that just paints Draco as the bad guy because he’s free and his dad is rotting in prison. We aren’t really sure why they started, but she began having them around a year ago. Draco’s having a really hard time with it because, while he knows his mother would literally kill Lucius to save him, it doesn’t change the impact of hearing such hate from his own mother.”</p><p>Hermione’s eyebrows formed their own frown as she looked at her socked feet. She looked back to the door, struggling with what she should do. She knew Draco hadn't wanted her to hear what she did, she knew her obvious eavesdropping only upset him more. Her eyes landed on the slate grey coat that was still on his chair.</p><p>“I need to properly apologize,” Hermione sighed.</p><p>“He’ll cool down,” Harry started and scratched the back of his head.</p><p>“Yes, but he doesn’t need to feel any worse than he already does.” Hermione ignored the exchanged glance between Ginny and Harry. “I know that feeling.”</p><p>Without a second thought, she grabbed the large coat in her small hands and made her way to the back door. The scent that hung on the coat wafted up to her, smelling strongly of that mint, cedar, and smoke combination that’d been on her mind for a week now. A part of her didn’t want to let it go as she stepped across the threshold. </p><p>Draco was out of sight, but the tell-tale sign of his smoke drifted from the maze. Hermione took a deep breath and walked towards the entrance. For a minute she thought about calling out to him, but she didn’t think he would respond. Instead, she tried to find him herself.</p><p>Hermione was deep in the maze now, with no sign of him, and she could no longer see the smoke now that she was in there. The sky was darkening, the sun reaching the edge of the earth, and the chill of the London air was breezing up her skirt. She used Draco’s coat to cover them as best she could as she walked. Thorns were pricking through her socks and she was certain they would be too ripped and dirty to be reused. She cursed herself quietly for not thinking to put shoes on.</p><p>She turned into a dead end, huffing when she saw nothing but a hedge. She spun around, only to jump back at the sight of Draco several inches from her. An audible gasp and her wide eyes were the only things to indicate her scare. His stormy grey eyes drifted down her, the tension in his expression fading when they stopped on her socks.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing, Granger?” His voice was so deep, so all-encompassing as it echoed around them.</p><p>“L-looking for you,” she stuttered. Hermione mentally hit herself at the sound of her voice.</p><p>“What’s there to find?” Draco flicked his eyes between her brown ones.</p><p>“I came to apologize,” she sighed. “I shouldn’t have been so nosy. It’s unbecoming of me.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t call it that,” Draco said with a barely-there chuckle. “But you are <i>very</i> nosy.”</p><p>Hermione furrowed her brow and pouted her lips, crossing her arms under the weight of his coat on them.</p><p>“This isn’t an open opportunity to insult me.”</p><p>“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?” Draco’s change in subject was sudden, but Hermione could tell he needed it.</p><p>“I wasn’t thinking,” she huffed.</p><p>“Brightest witch of our age wasn’t thinking?” He feigned shock.</p><p>“What I meant was that I was in a hurry,” she said, giving him a patronizing look.</p><p>“In a hurry to get to me?” Draco mused. “That’s a first.”</p><p>“First time for everything,” Hermione replied. “Plus, you left your coat inside and it’s cold.”</p><p>“You look like you need it more than me,” he snorted, once again taking in her appearance.</p><p>“I don’t like to stay in my work clothes all day!”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“I…” Hermione hesitated in her defense. “Wait, you aren’t judging me for changing?”</p><p>“No,” he hummed as his eyes caught on her waist. “Is that what you thought?”</p><p>“Well you came in looking all weird at me,” she pointed out.</p><p>“Apologizes for that,” Draco said. “I was… other things were on my mind and then you were sitting there all…”</p><p>Hermione rose an eyebrow when he didn’t finish, but she was too scared to ask. She was too scared around him a lot these days, and it wasn’t because he was a Death Eater. <i>Had been a Death Eater</i>, she corrected herself.</p><p>“About that… Harry explained a little of it to me, and I know you didn’t want me to hear any of it, I just wanted to say…” It was her turn to stop herself. But Draco wasn’t scared.</p><p>“Say what?”</p><p>“That I don’t think of you differently because of it,” she said. Her hands fidgeted with the buttons on his coat. “If you ever need to talk… I get the parent thing, at least some of it, and I would have liked someone to talk to about it when I was going through it.”</p><p>Hermione really didn’t know what she was saying. Whether it made sense logically, or if it even made sense for those words to come out of her mouth, directed at Draco Malfoy.</p><p>He was watching her, a look on his face she couldn’t quite place. But she wanted to. Wanted to understand all that was going on through that dark head of his. The only response he gave to her offer was a miniscule nod, one she wasn’t sure was there.</p><p>“It’s getting dark,” he observed, changing subjects once again. “We should go inside.”</p><p>“Right,” Hermione nodded and took a step to walk past him, but a particularly large thorn pierced its way through her sock and into her skin. She gasped and winced, stopping suddenly to pluck it out. Several more thorns were lodged in the fabric, waiting to dig deeper and prick her.</p><p>“Stupid, non-thinking Gryffindor,” Draco muttered. Before she could chide him, she felt a cool hand glide it’s way under her thighs and another support her back as she was lifted up rather easily. The ground fell away from her as she was lodged against a warm chest. She choked on her words as her eyes found themselves inches away from Draco’s particularly sharp jawbone.</p><p>He looked down at her for a second and she felt a pause in the drumming beneath her fingertips as they rested against his shirt. He whipped his eyes away from her and began to walk them out of the maze. Hermione was left speechless for a good minute as she noticed the little details of his face, hair, and neck. The way a dimple left it’s barely-there imprint on the right side of his face, just inches from his soft-looking lips. The way his eyebrows shaped his eyes, which were so grey they were almost blue. The way his hair looked so much silkier up close. The way his Adam’s Apple bobbed in his lean throat, the muscles contracting to the back of his neck.</p><p>She stopped there. Realized what was happening. Her voice found her, the anger rising.</p><p>“Hey,” she said and twitched in his arms. “Put me down.”</p><p>“Just accept the help, Granger.” Draco was still looking ahead, and with each smooth stride, Hermione’s body was held so tightly against his that she didn’t even bounce. Her thoughts focused on the feel of his hand against her outer thigh and she looked there. His silver rings dug imprints into her skin, but she didn’t mind.</p><p>Hermione felt warm inside, the chill of the wind no longer a bother. She tried to stay angry, but she was suddenly grateful she forgot her shoes in the house when the scent of him fitted into her memory of it, as if it belonged there. She shook her head when they exited the maze and Draco dropped her carefully back onto her feet. She held onto his arms as he did so, the height of him making it a travel back down.</p><p>“T-thank you,” she stuttered stupidly. Her face felt too warm and she wanted to stuff it into that stupid coat of his, the one she still held onto. Realizing this, she pushed it towards him, keeping her eyes on the point of his shoes.</p><p>His fingers wrapped around it, draping across hers for a moment. Hermione felt a wave of Deja-Vu, but this time she was okay with the feeling they gave her. Too okay. She pulled away and looked towards the house.</p><p>“Guess we should join them again,” she said.</p><p>“If we must.” Draco sighed and brushed past her, this time with less force. Hermione followed him quickly, practically jogging to keep up with his strides.</p><p> </p><p>------------</p><p> </p><p>Draco ached for Hermione’s warmth the moment he had put her down, but he blamed it on the cold weather. Once they were inside, he ignored Harry and Ginny’s worried looks. The good thing was that he felt better about the day’s events with each bite of dinner. After they had finished, they all gathered in the living room to hear what Hermione had to say. In all honesty, he was worried about her need to discuss this over dinner, away from work, but he didn’t want to question her.</p><p>Harry, Ginny, and Draco all watched Hermione as she stood in front of the fire place, her silhouette casting strange shadows on him. She’d put on new socks, causing his attention to waver once again. He watched as she paced nervously.</p><p>“Okay,” she started. “I need you all to listen to me carefully. Do not interrupt me at any point until I’ve said I’m done.”</p><p>Harry snorted, “That’s a great forewarning.”</p><p>“I’ve done some research,” Hermione continued, not acknowledging Harry’s comment. “I was thinking about what you two had said to me about the situation, and I refuse to believe that waiting on the next murder is how we’ll get clues. There is no guarantee in that method, and it goes against everything we’re working for. I also thought about how you, Malfoy, said it would take too long for me to <i>master</i> Occlumency. Then I remembered something that Snape did… with Narcissa. For you, Malfoy.”</p><p>Draco suddenly became rigid in his seat, locking eyes with the much-too-smart witch. Harry furrowed his brow and leaned forward.</p><p>“The Unbreakable Vow,” Hermione confirmed Draco’s fear in a whisper. “I’ve looked up everything I could on it, and we could use it. Malfoy, if there are two minds on this case with the knowledge that you have, maybe we could solve it. Maybe, with another person’s outlook on it, something different will be discovered.”</p><p>“That’s too many ‘maybes,’ Granger.” Draco’s voice cut through his teeth, threatening to spill over into a yell. “Are you bloody <i>crazy</i>? I mean, you do know what the outcomes of an Unbreakable Vow are, right?”</p><p>“I’m not daft, Malfoy.”</p><p>“Hermione, that’s too danger–” Harry started.</p><p>“Will you two listen?” Hermione shouted. “I know the risks, but I also know the benefits. Honestly, they outweigh them if we look at where we are now in the case and where we are headed. If it’s me who takes the Vow, it will be less of a risk. No one has to know we are doing this; it can just be between us. The Vow is simply a measure of safety. Malfoy gives me the information, he teaches me as much as he can in Occlumency so that I can hide that information to the best of my abilities, working on bettering them the whole time, and we take the Vow so that if something should ever happen where I am questioned for the information, I will know that telling them will end in my death anyways. It’s a precaution, something that will most likely never have to be implemented if we are smart about it.”</p><p>“Granger, if you aren’t skilled in Occlumency enough anyways, the Vow will be irrelevant. They could get the information without you telling them.” Draco was pulling out all the last stops to make her change her mind. To make her realize how crazy she sounded.</p><p>“Malfoy, I was first in my class for a reason,” Hermione stated. “If you don’t think I will do everything I can to be the best I can be at it, or work myself over forcing myself to do so, you’ve never really known me.”</p><p>“I haven't,” he blurted out without thinking. The quiet that settled after his comment was petrifying. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clenching his fist there. “Granger, it’s not that simple. Potter is skilled in almost everything, was one of the best wizards before he even left First Year, and he still hasn’t mastered Occlumency. It’s wired in the brain… it’s almost like a trait we are born with.”</p><p>“Fine,” she said. Draco snapped his head up, surprised she had caved so easily. But he knew better. “Let’s practice Occlumency first. Before you tell me anything. If I don’t seem to be catching onto it, or if it doesn’t seem to be <i>wired</i> into me, we don’t go through with the plan.”</p><p>Draco looked at Harry for help, but the wizard was looking at his lap. Draco bit his lip, pondering the deal Hermione had presented to him. If he were honest, he didn’t think she had it in her to block out emotions and thoughts and lock them away for safekeeping, to prevent a skilled Legilimens from plucking what they wanted out of her ever-working mind. He could accept this idea. If she couldn’t do it, then the Vow was out of the question and he wouldn’t have to relive his past with her.</p><p>“Deal,” he finally said. “But if you can’t do it, if I think for a second you aren’t capable of mastering it, we aren’t doing it.”</p><p>Hermione released a breath, her brow faltering for a minute before she nodded. They both looked at Harry, who was now rubbing his forehead. Ginny sat quietly next to him, rubbing his back and looking between Hermione and Draco worriedly.</p><p>“Harry?” Hermione’s voice was quieter now. Harry's ruffled black hair shifted as he looked up at them. He looked so <i>tired</i>. So like he had at the end of the war.</p><p>“Hermione,” Harry finally said with a sigh. “I don’t like this idea. At all. But I, nevertheless, agree with your statement on our case. If you truly think this will help, then you know I trust you. However, I also trust Draco. And if he tells me you can’t do this, then we aren’t doing this. Because, above all of this comes your safety.”</p><p>Draco could tell Hermione wanted to argue with her best friend on that last part, but she must have seen his worry, because she instead walked up to him and gave him a tight hug. Harry buried his face in the shoulder of her turtleneck, and Draco felt a tug on his gut, something that made the veins in his wrist twitch.</p><p>When they pulled away, Harry met Draco’s eyes. Draco could see that trust he talked about within them. In acknowledgment, Draco nodded once at the green-eyed wizard. Hermione watched the exchange, but Draco didn’t look at her again.</p><p> </p><p>--------</p><p> </p><p>After Draco had left for the night, Harry and Ginny went to their room and left Hermione on the sofa. She stared into the fire, captivated by the flicker of the flames as they moved the shadows around her. Hermione was proud of herself. She’d somehow managed to convince Draco and Harry of her plan, even if there had been some alterations.</p><p>Hermione didn’t doubt her abilities, no matter how much Draco tried to tell her otherwise. If anything, it wasn’t just about proving her skill to herself, but also to him. She didn’t know why that mattered so much. She’d never really cared what he had thought about her throughout school. But now his viewpoints were different, no matter how much she couldn’t wrap her head around that idea.</p><p>She sighed, curling up into the cushions and tugging her skirt down as far as it could go. As she did this, she felt something on the skin of her right thigh. When she looked down, she felt an ache in her chest as her heart stuttered. Draco’s signet ring must have twisted around his finger, an imperfection within his perfection. The shape of the snake was imprinted along with the other dents of his ring bands that showed themselves on her thigh.</p><p>In a strange, and otherworldly feeling, Hermione wished for it to stay there. For the memory to make a lasting effect on her skin. Because, no matter how vividly she could remember his touch, his carefulness, she wanted to mark it there.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Why is Astoria Greengrass invited to your wedding?” Hermione asked as she held the parchment of Ginny and Harry’s wedding guests. Ginny and her were writing invitations on elegant white cards in a dark red ink. Hermione’s hand twitched around her quill as she thought about the Slytherin who was two years younger than them. She couldn’t recall one moment in their time at Hogwarts that they’d talked to her.</p><p>“Because we’re inviting Daphne,” Ginny replied. “It’s only right we invite the rest of her family.”</p><p>“Ginny, we hardly ever interacted with Daphne, let alone her sister.”</p><p>“Hermione,” Ginny stopped writing her invitation to the Patil twins. “I don’t think you understand the importance of these invitations. I’m marrying Harry Potter, not some wizard who works in a parchment shop. Being the Chosen One who saved the wizarding world comes with some expectations. These invitations will be the first indication that Harry is getting married. Everyone will be expecting one.”</p><p>“<i>Everyone</i>?” Hermione scoffed. “You can’t be serious.”</p><p>“Well, we’re inviting anyone who could have possibly come in contact with him. We’re trying to touch all our bases. The last thing we want is an outlash from people at the Ministry who didn’t get invited when they’ve worked with him on some matter or another.”</p><p>“Ginny, that’s still a ridiculous amount of people to invite. I mean, this wedding is about your love, not what other people think.”</p><p>“I know that, Hermione. But I also know how big it is for the Chosen One to be getting married. I’ve accepted that my marriage will be very public.”</p><p>“Hold on,” she said. “When has Harry talked to the Greengrass sisters?”</p><p>“Astoria works for the Ministry,” Ginny explained and went back to her invitation writing. “She’s a judge for the Wizengamot and has helped Harry and Draco with a couple of cases since she was taken on.”</p><p>“She graduated two years ago,” Hermione noted and crossed her legs under the kitchen table.</p><p>“Yeah,” Ginny yawned. They’d been at this for hours. “She’s good at what she does.”</p><p>Hermione picked up a new card and looked at the next person on the list. Her quill froze over the sturdy, white parchment. A drop of ink fell from the tip and bled onto it. Blinking away her hesitation, she took the drop and smeared it into words. <i> Dear Narcissa Malfoy </i>, she began.</p><p>As her quill left the cursive ‘y,’ the backdoor opened. Hermione looked over her shoulder, surprise taking over her features. It was like she had summoned him. Draco found her eyes and nodded carefully with an uncertain stare as he stood in the homey kitchen, out of place with his expensive wear. In tight, black trousers, held onto his hips with a black belt, and a matching turtleneck tucked into them, one that reminded her of last night, he stood out. Ginny glanced up and smiled brightly.</p><p>“Draco! What are you doing here on a Saturday afternoon?”</p><p>He spared her a brief smile before looking back at Hermione. Those grey eyes asked a question she couldn’t decipher.</p><p>“I came to get Granger,” Draco said. Hermione’s heart skipped a beat at his announcement of unknown plans for her. “We have lessons.”</p><p>“Oh,” Hermione finally said, nothing more than a sigh. “Today?”</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he laughed humorlessly. “Did you have another time in mind?”</p><p>“Well,” Ginny spoke up. “She <i> is </i> helping me with invitations.”</p><p>For a brief moment, Hermione was thankful to her friend. But then she continued.</p><p>“But I’m not doing anything else today, so I can take care of it. Go ahead, Hermione.”</p><p>Hermione narrowed her eyes at the red-head, who held a smirk on her much-too-innocent face. She sighed and stood before she set her quill down and pushed the card she was working on towards Ginny.</p><p>“I was in the middle of Narcissa’s,” she said. From her peripheral, she watched Draco tense up and take a step forward in his black half boots. Hermione turned, her black sundress twirling, the white daisies scattered on it coming together for a brief second before settling. Draco’s brow was furrowed as he looked from the invitation to Hermione.</p><p>“I have to grab a coat,” she interrupted his thoughts.</p><p>“No,” he stopped her. “You won’t need it.”</p><p>“Where are we going?” Hermione’s eyebrow raised, curiosity getting the best of her.</p><p>“My place,” Draco replied with a shrug.</p><p>Before she could stop them, memories of the room she could no longer identify filled her mind. Screams. Ones coming from her own body as she was held under the Cruciatus Curse. Over and over again. As Bellatrix’s knife dug into her arm, carving there a word she would never be able to erase. A word she would never forget.</p><p>“N-no,” Hermione managed to stutter out as she pushed those thoughts away. “I can’t… not there… not again…”</p><p>Ginny stood quickly and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The warmth of her drove the rest of the horrid feelings away. Draco stepped forward again with a worried expression.</p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p>“Draco,” Ginny spoke for her. She must have made some motion, or mouthed some secret message to make him understand, because Draco’s face turned dark almost instantly. Hermione could see many things there, but guilt was the most obvious. Or was it pity?</p><p>“No, Her–” he stopped. Why did he stop? “Granger, that’s not what I meant. I have a flat, my own place. We can go there. I…”</p><p>Hermione wanted him to keep talking, to finish his thoughts for once. She took a deep breath and nodded, giving Ginny a grateful smile before stepping out of her hold. </p><p>“Okay,” she spoke up as if nothing had gone wrong. She pushed the feelings away.  “I’ll be back later.”</p><p>Hermione walked past Draco’s rigid form, leading the way to the backdoor. The chill outside hit her bare legs, and she suddenly wished the dress went further than her mid-thigh. She shifted in her pointed, black flats as she watched Draco exit the house. Hermione rubbed her arms as he sauntered towards her, and she had the sudden urge to jump into his warm arms. She blamed it on his idiotic actions from last night and the cold weather.</p><p>“Ready?” Hermione blinked for a moment at the sound of his voice. It didn’t seem to reach any further than her ears.</p><p>“I guess,” she said. “Where am I apparating to?”</p><p>“It’s okay, I’ll do it.”</p><p>“Wha–” Hermione was cut off as Draco’s exceptionally long hand slipped into hers and gripped her tightly. Before the warmth of it could encompass her, he turned on the spot, apparating her with him. She heard the crack, and the unexpectedness made her want to cling to him.</p><p>They appeared in a dark alley, but she was hardly aware of her surroundings as her heart thudded heavily. Draco released his hold on her. Too quick.</p><p>“What the <i>hell</i> is wrong with you?” Hermione turned to glare at him, but he was already walking away. Anger bubbled in her chest and she ran to catch up with him. “You can’t just do that without warning! I wasn’t even prepared! Appa–”</p><p>The same hand that held hers moments ago slapped across her mouth with as little force as possible in his rush to stop her ranting.</p><p>“Will you shut up?” Draco growled. The sound traveled through her from the fingertips that dug into her cheekbone. It tingled her insides, made her want to bite into that hand. Her eyes widened at her own thoughts, but she played it off as a reaction to his words.</p><p>Draco looked across the sidewalks that they had reached at the end of the alley. He yanked his hand away and glared at her.</p><p>“We are in muggle territory, Granger. Watch what you say.”</p><p>Before she could argue with him, he was already walking away again. With an agitated sigh, she followed him all the way to his flat. Once they were inside and he had closed the door, Hermione shoved him roughly.</p><p>“How about you treat me like a human, Malfoy?” </p><p>Draco’s eyes darkened, her shove only making him move back one step, one he regained as he stepped closer to tower over her. That’s when reality hit her. When she realized she was in <i>his</i> flat. She was in Draco Malfoy’s residence alone and had no proof of her own to trust him on. Fear threaded its way into her mind, feeding her lies.</p><p>Hermione backed away from him, wrapping her arms around herself. Draco watched her, stopping in his dangerous advances.</p><p>“Fine,” he finally said. “Apologies.”</p><p>He walked around her, turning on lights as he went. Hermione turned to watch him, her eyes scanning the living space as she did so. His mood swings were annoying her, but she couldn’t help to appreciate the expansive sitting room with its dark grey sofas and glass coffee table. The fire place was made of black marble, grand in its presence. As Hermione unconsciously followed him, she noticed a small hallway leading to a dining room with its connected kitchen. Another hallway, this one longer, led to rooms she couldn’t see. </p><p>It was the breathtaking window view that she couldn’t pull her eyes from, though. The windows lined a whole wall of his flat, making it all glass, all see-through. The city could be seen outside, the flat high above it, and Hermione was sure it was even more beautiful at night.</p><p>“Do you… like it?”</p><p>Hermione swiveled to see Draco standing against a black cabinet her eyes had missed. He held a glass of whiskey in his palm. She huffed and looked down at her shoes.</p><p>“It’s nice,” she finally confirmed. “But I would expect nothing less of you.”</p><p>Draco snorted and turned to make another drink. Hermione really wished he wouldn’t. That was the last thing she needed.</p><p>“I’m actually surprised you even moved out,” she continued and went to sit down on one of the sofas.</p><p>“Didn’t want to be there,” he muttered. “What do you drink?”</p><p>Hermione didn’t miss the comment, but she knew better than to dwell on it. She chewed on the inside of her lip and played with the hem of her dress.</p><p>“I’m okay.”</p><p>“I insist,” Draco turned to catch her eye. “It helps to get started.”</p><p>It was as if Hermione suddenly remembered why she was there. Occlumency. She sighed and nodded.</p><p>“Do you have a good pinot noir?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>Nerves bounced through Hermione as she stared through the glass coffee table. Draco’s shoes came into view as he walked in front of her. Sat next to her. Hermione looked up at the offered glass and took it. She was much too aware of his presence. Of their reason for being there.</p><p>It had been her idea, but she hadn’t pictured it. Hadn’t seen them in his fancy flat, sitting too close together on his sofa, and drinking in the afternoon. She took a sip of the wine, let it settle on her tastebuds. It was the best she’d had. Probably because it was worth a fortune.</p><p>“So, why did you suggest we do this here?” she broke the deafening silence.</p><p>“To have the best opportunity for concentration,” Draco said. “No one comes here. Everyone goes to Potter’s house.”</p><p>“Oh,” was all she could say.</p><p>Draco set his glass down and turned to face her, propping his knee up on the cushion between them. Hermione felt the need to do the same. She carefully maneuvered her leg so that her dress didn’t cause her to be indecent. He watched nevertheless.</p><p>“Okay,” he said. His voice became careful, kind. She listened earnestly. “You first want to clear your mind. Don’t think about your current worries, what you plan to do for the rest of the day, or even what we’re doing right now.”</p><p>Hermione followed his instructions, closing her eyes to do so. She felt her shoulders relax as she pushed her thoughts away and took a deep breath.</p><p> </p><p>------------</p><p> </p><p>Draco watched her face freely. The way her eyelids fluttered, her lashes grazing the tops of her cheeks. The way her full, pink lips parted slightly, showing a glimpse of perfect, white teeth. His hands itched, but he clenched them in his lap. </p><p>“Now, since I’m only testing you right now,” he started, “I want you to pick out a certain memory. Make it something important to you, or something you don’t want me to see. Once you have it in mind, tell me what it is in the briefest way possible.”</p><p>“The day I obliviated my parents,” Hermione said. She hadn’t hesitated in her choice.</p><p>“Okay. Take that memory and wrap it up as tight as possible in whatever you desire, whatever you want to protect your mind with. Lock it away and build a wall around it. To do this, you have to get rid of all emotional ties to that memory. This means forcing yourself not to feel any of those emotions that might trigger it. This might take some time.”</p><p>Draco watched as Hermione’s brow furrowed and her freckled nose twitched. He had to admit he was a little bit eager to enter her mind, to see just a little of what she thought. It was only a minute later when Hermione was nodding firmly.</p><p>“I’m ready.”</p><p>“Are you sure?” Draco doubted she had blocked it off good enough in that short amount of time.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>“Then look at me,” he said. Hermione’s brown eyes met his and he scooted closer, watching her pupils dilate. “I’m going to enter your mind, and I’m going to try to locate that memory with Legilimency. I will try to not… stray.”</p><p>Hermione’s eyes seemed worried for a brief moment, but at his words she nodded and settled into a serious expression. Draco waited a few seconds for her to clear her mind again before he slid his hands up her cheeks, letting his fingers tangle in the hair that fell around the sides of her face. This step wasn’t necessary, but it made the process quicker and easier. That’s why he did it.</p><p>Draco bore his eyes into Hermione’s and let his mind slip into hers, feeling around the edges of it. He thought of the memory she had hidden, and immediately started searching for it. He was gentle in his pushes, scared of hurting her. Although, she would have to get used to rougher advantages if this was something she could do.</p><p>He stopped when he encountered a hazy vision, one that held a pair of grey eyes. Before he could make it out, Hermione threw it away from him. She could feel him in there. She could see him.</p><p>Draco continued, keeping the memory in mind as he glided his way through thoughts he couldn’t really see because he didn’t bother to search them. He soon came across a stone wall, carefully placed in the corner of her mind. Vines wound their way around the stones, strengthening them and giving off a presence of age. She was smart in that tactic.</p><p>Very slowly, Draco pushed into the wall, trying to break it down. It didn’t budge as he tested it with three advances of increased strength. It wasn’t until he was literally throwing himself into the wall that it began to crumble. With three more shoves, he got past the wall and found a chest, locked tight. This, once again, took more strength to open, and Draco was worried he was hurting her in his attempts.</p><p>Once he unlocked it, the memory flooded his mind before he could stop it. He was looking down a small arm, one that held a wand with a vine-like design. Hermione’s wand. It pointed at an older couple, sat on a sofa. Her parents. Draco looked at the muggles for a brief moment before the memory triggered a feeling of remorsefulness and despair as a light emitted from the wand. “<i>Obliviate</i>,” came Hermione’s voice. </p><p>Draco drew himself out of her mind so quickly, he gave himself whiplash. Hermione looked shocked at the sudden loss of connection, as well. He still held her face, his full of pity. Hermione frowned and pulled away from him, standing up.</p><p>Draco watched as she grabbed her glass and threw back the rest of her drink. He was still in a trance as his eyes followed her to the door. In a sudden realization, he stood up and jogged over to her.</p><p>“Hey, where are you going?” The worry that he had hurt her gnawed at him as he tried to see her expression.</p><p>Hermione stopped, fingers wrapped around the door handle and hair falling in front of her face. Draco wanted to physically punch himself. He knew they shouldn’t have done this.</p><p>“Home,” she mumbled. “It didn’t work.”</p><p>“Wait,” Draco huffed. “What are you talking about?”</p><p>“You got the memory!” Hermione released the handle aggressively and turned to look at him, eyes full of anger. “I couldn’t hold you back…”</p><p>“No!” he said quickly. “No, Granger. You did great… Much to my disappointment, you did really well for the first time.”</p><p>“Wh…what?” Hermione’s brows came together in confusion, and a part of Draco wanted to smooth them out. The other part wanted to pinch himself.</p><p>“It took a lot for me to get through your barriers,” Draco clarified. “Usually, with someone who isn’t good at Occlumency, or is doing it their first time, it’s much easier to get to it. That means you did good… really good.”</p><p>Hermione gasped, eyes brightening too quickly. A smile began to form on her lips, wide and bright. Draco knew that this meant they could go through with her plan, knew that it was their deal. But when she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, he pushed the realization away.</p><p>He lost a few seconds to shock before he could wrap his arms around her waist in return. A few more seconds of bliss before she pulled away and jumped excitedly.</p><p>“That means we can do this!” she exclaimed. “That means we might be able to solve this case!”</p><p>“Granger–”</p><p>“We have to tell Harry!”</p><p>“Hey!” Draco stopped her. Hermione looked up at him, coming down from her enthusiasm. “I think we should talk about this…”</p><p>“Are you kidding me, Malfoy?” The loss of her happiness took a toll on him, especially because he was the one to take it away. “We already agreed.”</p><p>“I know,” he sighed. “Trust me, I know. But this is a really big decision, we need to–”</p><p>“Malfoy,” she stopped him. “Just train me more in Occlumency. This was a test run, after all. I learn some more, get a little better at it, and then we can talk about the next part.”</p><p>Draco supposed this was more reasonable than jumping straight into an Unbreakable Vow, but he was still on edge. Not wanting to sour the mood further, or cause a fight, he simply nodded.</p><p>“Great!” Hermione’s smile returned and she spun around, her dress doing immaculate things to her thighs. “Let’s go tell Ginny and Harry!”</p><p>“Wait,” Draco spoke up. “Granger… your memory–”</p><p>“No,” she said, back facing him. “We don’t need to talk about it.”</p><p>“But I think it’s something we <i>should</i> talk about.”</p><p>“Why?” Hermione turned to look at him again. Draco horribly missed the smile that’d left her lips again, because at least it meant she wasn’t still wary of him. “Because it’s sad and I shouldn’t push stuff like that away? Isn’t that the whole point of Occlumency?”</p><p>“Well, yes,” Draco hesitated. He was at a lost for words as he watched her unfold emotions before him.</p><p>“Then we won’t talk about it,” she shrugged. It was blood-chilling to see her be so nonchalant with something like this. “Besides, it’s not like I didn’t get their memories back.”</p><p>Of course, she did. She was Hermione Granger, after all. The brightest witch of their age. Draco nodded, understanding where his boundaries laid. She was more open to him now, could even grant him a touch or two, but he would never be on Harry’s level. They would never really be friends.</p><p>“Now,” Hermione sighed. “Can we please go? You’re flat is too fancy for me.”</p><p>“As if,” Draco scoffed. “You were boggling all over it not too long ago.”</p><p>“You wish.” Hermione rolled her eyes and tugged open the door. This time, she led the way.</p><p> </p><p>----------</p><p> </p><p>Sleep was irrelevant to her. Not when she could still feel Draco’s mind drifting into her own, could see her thoughts opening up to him. She wasn’t completely sure what he had seen. At one point she caught him looking at a memory of him, holding her in a maze. She had snatched it away as quickly as she could, unsure how she did it, but she didn’t know how far he’d gotten into it.</p><p>The vulnerability she had felt when he finally unlocked that chest with the memory of her parents was overwhelming. She had tried her hardest to appear as if it hadn’t affected her, but she wasn’t sure how well she’d done.</p><p>Hermione rolled onto her side and stared at her closet door. Her cheek rested in her hand, and if she closed her eyes, she could picture it as Draco’s. His fingers holding strands of her hair tightly, his grey eyes imprinting themselves into her brown ones. She had been eager to leave his flat, scared of what would happen if she stayed longer. The wine had been good, but also effective, warming up her face with just a couple of sips. She was sure that was why.</p><p>She really was excited about the prospect of being skilled in Occlumency. It was something she hoped to be able to do, as she did with everything, but not something she thought she would be exceptionally good at. </p><p>Hermione usually wasn’t that type of person. She was open and bright, emotional and caring, not closed off and mysterious. Not like Draco. But she supposed, with him, she tried to hide many things. With her friends, even, she tried to hide how much she was hurting. How lonely she had felt since the war.</p><p>With a rough sigh, Hermione took her hand off her cheek. Maybe it was a good thing she was learning this skill. She would be able to push misinterpreting memories out of her mind more easily.</p><p>While she was eager to help with the case, she would be lying if she didn’t say the idea of being in an Unbreakable Vow scared her. Especially because it would be with Draco Malfoy, someone she no longer knew how to feel about. It was her idea though, so she could only blame herself. Besides, it was in her selfless nature to do such a thing.</p><p>Hermione turned her head to look out her window, watching as the moon glared its way into her bedroom. She suddenly wondered what the view from Draco’s window wall looked like right now. With the lights turned off, he could probably even see more of the stars.</p><p>There he was again. In her mind. Hermione was honestly surprised he didn’t say anything about his vast amount of appearances in there. Hopefully he didn’t see. </p><p>Hermione ground her teeth in annoyance and threw her covers off, leaving her in pajama shorts and an oversized t-shirt, one she thought she got from Harry. She hoped off her bed and padded downstairs, to the sitting room. With a wave of her wand, she lit the fireplace, letting its flames become the only light in the room. She then summoned one of her recently favorite books with an <i>Accio</i>.</p><p>She pulled the softest throw blanket out of the basket Ginny had set up by the sofa and laid in front of the fireplace. The warmth enveloped her as she opened Dante’s <i>Inferno</i> to the beginning. While it was a comfort for her, she wouldn’t get a wink of sleep that night. When the sounds of morning began, she would be halfway through with <i>Paradise</i>, and still thinking about strong arms around her waist.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Five</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was supposed to be a normal Sunday morning, despite Hermione’s lack of sleep the previous night. A day of relaxation, a time to reorder her thoughts and gain some stability from the events of the past week. That’s what was supposed to happen.</p><p>But things often didn’t go the way Hermione planned, much to her chagrin. So, when Draco Malfoy stumbled into Grimmauld Place as she stood in her pajamas, making breakfast for the still-sleeping Harry and Ginny, she was understandably shocked.</p><p>A gasp escaped her lips as she turned to see Draco clatter into the kitchen, holding his side. Despite her lack of bra underneath the old shirt she wore and much-too-short shorts, Hermione instantly ran up to him. Red stained his pale hand as it gripped his waist, and Hermione felt her heart thudding far too fast.</p><p>“Draco, what happened?” Her own hands hovered over him, unsure of what she could do. Unaware of the name that had slipped her lips.</p><p>“Granger,” Draco groaned. “Where’s Potter?”</p><p>“Asleep,” she replied distractedly. “Please, sit down.”</p><p>Hermione finally gripped his upper arm, pulling him to the kitchen table. His long legs tumbled over themselves as he fell into one of the wooden chairs. Hermione pushed them apart as she got closer to him, pulling his hand away from his side. Draco snatched his hand back over the hidden wound, hiding it from her.</p><p>“Malfoy, let me look.”</p><p>“No,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just get Potter.”</p><p>“No,” she said back and crossed her arms. In a distant part of her mind, she felt the inside of his thighs brushing against the outside of hers as she stood between his legs. Despite it, she tried to remain strong-willed. “Show me.”</p><p>Draco huffed angrily, looking down for a minute. Eventually, he moved his hand and Hermione jumped on the chance, pushing it further up. A gasp left her lips when she saw the damage. His dark grey t-shirt was soaked from hip to armpit in dark blood, escaping a ripped part of it, where a huge gash in his waist could be seen.</p><p>“Please, Granger,” Draco grunted. “I have to talk to him.”</p><p>“You have to get this fixed, first.”</p><p>“You don’t understand–”</p><p>“Malfoy, I will literally knock you out if you don’t stop.” Hermione blew the hair out of her face before messily tying it back in a loose ponytail. She looked around for her wand, spotting it on the table. As she leaned forward to grab it, her body pushed into Draco’s, and something about the situation felt more intimate than when she’d hugged him the day before.</p><p>Hermione felt him let out a rough breath against her neck, sending shivers to her toes. She swallowed and slowly pulled away, wand in hand. His grey eyes met hers, dark and pained, before they roamed down her body. Hermione shook her head, refusing to acknowledge the awkwardness of the situation until he was healed.</p><p>“Take your shirt off.”</p><p>Draco snorted, his eyes coming back up to hers from where they were examining the hem of her shorts. A small smirk edged his lips, but Hermione wasn’t amused.</p><p>“Ask nicely, Granger.”</p><p>Hermione took in a quick breath, catching the darkness in his stare, the mischievousness. She threw the moment off with a short laugh, shaking her head. Draco cocked a brow, and she realized he was challenging her. Despite his body openly bleeding and the pain he was inevitably in; he was testing her in his familiar, stupid Malfoy way. She hadn’t seen that since she’d been back, which was why she decided to accept his challenge.</p><p>“Malfoy,” she sighed and pouted her lips. “Please take off your shirt… for me.”</p><p>She had added the last part for effect, hoping he would ease up enough for her to actually heal him. She expected him to chuckle, maybe make fun of her, and then take it off. But Draco Malfoy went against a lot of her expectations.</p><p>If possible, his eyes darkened more, his teeth tugging on his bottom lip. Hermione stared at the action, thrown off. His legs drew together, trapping her thighs between them. His hands looked like they were coming towards her for a brief second, before he hesitated and moved them to his shirt instead.</p><p>Hermione was already feeling flutters in her stomach at his reaction, but the moment she saw his muscled abdomen, those flutters turned to explosions. She sucked in a breath, watching as his toned arms slipped the shirt off. Tattoos littered more than just his arms, making an appearance on his ribcage and peeking through the top of his pants from his hip bone.</p><p>Her distractions were halted when her eyes landed on his left arm. The Dark Mark sat clear as day, taunting her with its evil. It’d faded from the dark black she remembered seeing years ago to an ash grey. But it was still there.</p><p>Draco must have noticed her staring because he quickly swiveled the arm out of view. He avoided her eyes when she looked back up at him and the spine-chilling mood that had settled upon them lifted. Hermione sighed and casted a quick <i>Scourgify</i> to clean the blood up. Draco released her legs from his, still looking away.</p><p>“I don’t care anymore,” she said. “It doesn’t bother me.”</p><p>Draco was quiet for a moment before he angled his head towards her and asked, “Why not?”</p><p>“Because I trust Harry.” Hermione shrugged and began healing his wound with non-verbal spells. “And Harry trusts you.”</p><p>Draco only scoffed; wincing has his skin was mended back together. Hermione bit her lip, knowing what she had said wasn’t exactly comforting.</p><p>“I still don’t really know you,” she continued. “Harry’s known the new you for a few years now. I’m still behind on that. That’s all I can really base my beliefs on.”</p><p>“Granger,” Draco said in a laugh that was void of humor. “I’ve let you touch me multiple times. Hell, I even let you hug me. Do you honestly think I would have let you do that years ago?”</p><p>“No,” she snorted. “You would have called me a–”</p><p>“Don’t.” Draco’s voice was hardened. “Stop saying that word.”</p><p>Hermione looked at him curiously, but she knew better than to ponder the thoughts and questions that popped up at his response. Instead, she nodded and tucked a curl behind her ear. Draco’s eyes followed the action.</p><p>“Okay,” she sighed. “I agree. You’ve been… cordial towards me. You haven’t acted disgusted or like you want to kill me. But that’s what’s opened me up to you more. That’s why I’m suddenly okay with hugging you. That’s the type of person I am with people I trust… with people that are my friends.”</p><p>“Are you saying we’re friends, Granger?” Draco’s teasing smile made her narrow her eyes.</p><p>“No,” she said and crossed her arms. His wound was fully healed now, but she still stood between his legs. “I’m saying we’re acquaintances.”</p><p>“Fair enough.” His smile faded and he looked at her in a way that made her fidget.</p><p>“Draco?” Ginny’s voice entered the kitchen, making Hermione jump back from the blonde in front of her. Harry and Ginny walked in, confused looks complimenting their bed-ragged hair.</p><p>“He got hurt,” Hermione said suddenly, as if she were defending herself. Harry’s eyebrows rose high in shock and Ginny ran up to Draco, touching all over his face and shoulders for any sign of harm.</p><p>“I’m fine now, Ginerva.” Draco stood and grabbed his shirt, pulling it back over his body. Harry looked at the ripped, bloody garment with a horrified expression. “Granger healed me up nicely.”</p><p>Hermione’s face reddened as Draco nodded thankfully towards her. Smoke filtered through her nostrils and she gasped, remembering the breakfast she had left on the stove in her rush to help Draco. She ran and took the burning pan off the heat, dumping it into the sink and turning the water on. When she turned to face them again after cutting the water off, they were all smiling at her. She would have been annoyed, had it not been for her shock at seeing such an open smile on Draco.</p><p>Smirks were all she had seen so far from him, but the smile on his face was real and genuine. Full and beautiful. Hermione stopped herself suddenly, blinking away the thoughts. Harry’s smile faded as he faced the Draco again.</p><p>“What happened?”</p><p>Draco sighed, flicking his white-blonde hair out of his eyes. Hermione watched his brow furrow and his mouth open and close as he appeared to be struggling for words. Ginny frowned and tugged at the hole in Draco’s shirt, causing Hermione to take a step forward.</p><p>She didn’t know why she did it. Honestly, it felt like a protective act, but she had no idea why she felt the need to protect him. He was healed, and he wasn’t her responsibility.</p><p>“I was attacked,” Draco finally got out. “I…”</p><p>“Draco,” Harry said warningly. Hermione grew confused, realizing that there was something Draco wasn’t telling Harry. Something Harry already knew.</p><p>“Just promise you won’t do anything, Potter.” Draco ran long, pale fingers through his hair, rings catching there. “It doesn’t help anything and you aren’t my fucking body guard.”</p><p>“Malfoy,” Harry replied in a clipped tone. “Spit it out.”</p><p>“I was summoned by my badge,” Draco said begrudgingly. “Said there was another killing. Mind you it was at bloody four in the morning, so I got dressed best I could and went to the scene. Except there was no fucking scene. I was ambushed by three other Aurors. Jenkins, Myers, and Flaux. They gave the old speech about me being a Death Eater, murderer, criminal, and the likes. Then they attacked me when I gave off the impression that I really didn’t give a shit what they had to say. Though, I would say it was planned. I fought as best I could, but I’m running on no sleep, no coffee, and it’s three against one. I think I got out better than I could have hoped for, honestly. I eventually <i>Stupefied</i> them all and apparated here.”</p><p>Hermione was shocked, to say the least. She didn’t know how to process what he’d just said. When Harry had told her Draco received hate everyday for his past, she didn’t realize it was this bad. She didn’t realize that–</p><p>“They could have <i>killed</i> you,” she said out loud. She wanted him to hear the brevity of the situation because he obviously wasn’t seeing it himself. Draco looked from a fuming Harry to her. “What the <i>fuck</i>? How do people like them have a job at the Ministry?”</p><p>“As easily as people like me do, Granger.” Draco held her stare with surprisingly calm eyes. Hermione sucked in a breath and looked away, realizing the truth behind his statement.</p><p>“No,” Harry spoke up. “No, you got a <i>trial</i>, I vouched for you, you were tested, you were trained! You deserve to have this job! They do not!”</p><p>“They never <i>needed</i> a fucking trial, Potter!” Hermione could see the anger finally rising in Draco. She could see what she knew. “They never had to be questioned because they never did the things I did! They have every right–”</p><p>“They have no right!” Hermione intervened, stepping closer to the two angry wizards. Ginny was chewing on her thumbnail anxiously, just behind Harry. Draco whipped his head towards her again. “No one has a right to treat another person like that! You’ve proven yourself to the Ministry, to the whole Wizarding World that you’re a better man now.”</p><p>“Obviously not!” Draco seethed. “I haven’t proven it to you!”</p><p>Hermione stopped, looking up at him in shock. She was speechless because she knew he was right. She hadn’t seen the proof herself other than gaining blind trust towards him every day he didn’t do something wrong. But that was different because…</p><p>“I’m different,” she said quietly. Draco scoffed and shook his head, a single eyebrow quirking up.</p><p>“How so, Granger?”</p><p>“Because I <i>know</i> you. I know the past you. I’ve had first-hand experience with what you’ve done to me and how you’ve treated me over the years.” She clenched her small fists at her side, remembered how it felt to hit him in Third Year. “I <i>need</i> that confirmation, that proof. But that’s just me. That’s just the people you hurt personally. Harry’s gotten that proof. Ginny’s gotten it.”</p><p>The unsaid question rested between them. But it didn’t need to be spoken aloud. They could hear it. Hear her say <i>Where’s mine?</i></p><p>Draco’s face faltered and he looked away from her quickly. Hermione shuddered, glancing at Harry. Ginny was looking sympathetically towards Draco, but Harry was still angry. Without another word, he <i>Accioed</i> his jacket and shoes to him, threw them on, and was out the door before Draco could stop him. They all knew where he was going.</p><p>Hermione jumped slightly when Draco shoved the chair he had been sitting in aggressively towards the table. His shoulders rose and fell heavily, his back to them. Ginny stepped forward but Hermione put a hand up. She didn’t know why. What could she say that would make a difference?</p><p>Ginny’s face grew confused for a moment before she nodded and announced she was going to go pick up breakfast. Hermione smiled thankfully at her, glancing with guilt at the still steaming sink. Draco’s body sagged once the front door closed behind Ginny. Hermione’s lips twitched nervously.</p><p>“Sorry for interrupting your morning,” Draco eventually muttered. He turned on his heel and walked out of the kitchen.</p><p>“Malfoy!” Hermione ran to keep up with him her fingers locking around his wrist the moment he reached the back door. “Where are you going?”</p><p>Draco snatched his hand away from her, spinning around to face her with a heated glare. Hermione sucked in a breath, slightly cowering away under his height.</p><p>“Why does it matter?” His deep voice had grown dark and ragged. Hermione’s brows drew together in determination and she stood her ground, even if the space between them was minimized to almost nothing.</p><p>“You have to realize that Harry’s just trying to help–”</p><p>“I don’t <i>have</i> to do anything, Granger. As a matter of fact, I really don’t think any of this was ever your business.”</p><p>“Excuse me?” Hermione scoffed. “You made it my business when you came in here bleeding!”</p><p>“No!” Draco’s voice rose to a yell. “<i>You</i> made it your business! I asked for Potter, not you!”</p><p>“Well you got me!” she yelled back. “And be grateful for it, because otherwise you could have bled out!”</p><p>“Potter and Ginny would have done the same thing for me, so don’t act all high and mighty.”</p><p>“Fuck you,” Hermione huffed out before she could stop herself. “Learn how to say thank you and move on. I’m here to stay, so don’t act like I shouldn’t be.”</p><p>“That’s not what I said–”</p><p>“You’re sure as hell acting like it,” she let out a humorless laugh. “So, you’re bloody welcome.”</p><p>Hermione swiveled on her feet and began to walk away from him. Every part of her was raging, on fire, and ready to attack. Before she could make it two feet from him, Draco yanked on her arm, forcing her to face him again and smack into his chest. With a loss of breath, it took a couple of seconds for Hermione to realize what happened.</p><p>“Let go of me!” she yelled and attempted to twist her arm out of his grasp. Draco held on tightly, staring down at her angrily.</p><p>“No, you don’t get to be the one to walk away.”</p><p>“Oh, don’t be so childish! Honestly, Malfoy!”</p><p>Draco’s long fingers dug into the flesh of her upper arm and she let out a gasp at the pain. She met his stormy grey eyes and found that they gave her chills. Only then was she aware that she was still in her pajama shorts and the old t-shirt. Only then could she feel the way the knee of his black jeans dug into her upper thigh.</p><p>It must have been something about the look on her face that caused him to release her suddenly and stumble back into the wall. Hermione’s ragged breaths were the only sound to fill the room. A part of her wanted to flee to her room, but another part of her, a darker part, wanted to feel that pain again.</p><p>Hermione’s brows furrowed in confusion and she crossed her arms across her torso, feeling very vulnerable. Draco’s eyes roamed over her, and she felt the blush of embarrassment before she could stop it. Hermione tucked her bottom lip between her teeth and looked away from him.</p><p>It was a long while, the tension settling around them, before another word was said. Hermione would have been the first, ready to say goodbye and shove him out of the house, if a part of her secretly didn’t want him to leave just yet.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Draco finally said. Hermione looked back to him and watched him struggle for words. “I’m truly thankful for you being there this morning. I just have my own issues with Potter having to fight for my right to be in the Ministry. I don’t want to talk about that with you. Just like you have to see for yourself that I’ve changed, I have to learn to gain your trust with my vulnerability.”</p><p>Hermione was shocked at his confession. His mood swings were pushing her own emotions around, but she could tell his struggles with his new self were deeper than face value. All she could do was nod in response. She was scared of how her voice would sound if she did say anything.</p><p>“You drive me crazy,” Draco confessed with a groan. He ran a hand through his hair and tightened his fist there. “Like you reignite all the fight in me again, but I don’t know if that’s a good thing… or a bad thing.”</p><p>She swallowed, feeling like she should say something. His words were pulling her forward, both literally and figuratively. Hermione didn’t notice the steps she was taking towards him until she was right in front of him again.</p><p>“It depends on what you do with that fight,” she finally whispered. Draco watched her face for a minute, his expression falling into guilt.</p><p>“I’m sorry for grabbing you like that–” he started.</p><p>“Don’t be,” she stopped him. His eyebrows came together and she bit the inside of her lip at the slip of words. “I mean… It’s okay. I was just angry.”</p><p>Hermione looked down between them, at her bare feet and his booted ones. Curls fell in front of her face, escaping her loose ponytail and blocking the red of her cheeks from him. Draco’s long fingers came into view and she felt him brush a few of them back, felt the pads of his fingers graze against her cheekbone. She gasped without meaning to and let her eyes meet his again. What she found there scared her, but she only caught a glimpse of it before the back door opened and they jumped apart.</p><p>Ginny stood in the doorway with a box, her face surprised. Hermione scratched the back of her head, her heart racing.</p><p>“Oh, are you leaving Draco?” Ginny’s voice gave no sign that she’d seen them. Inches apart. His hand on her face. Her lips parted.</p><p>“No, not just yet.” Draco offered her a smile and Ginny looked even more shocked. When he walked past them, back to the kitchen, she looked right at Hermione. <i>What did you do?</i> she mouthed.</p><p>Hermione just shrugged, laughing slightly, hoping her nervousness didn’t show through it. Ginny pursed her lips and nodded slowly before motioning for Hermione to follow her to the kitchen.</p><p> </p><p>----------</p><p> </p><p>The glass of the vase shattered against the wall. Draco breathed heavily; fists clenched as he stood alone in the sitting room of his flat. She’d broken him. Again. And this time it had worked. He’d slipped up and done the exact thing he’d been resisting to do.</p><p>More than that, she'd angered him. Made him admit things he didn’t want to admit. Forced him to feel what he always pushed down. He wasn’t lying when he’d told her she drove him crazy. Entirely bonkers, if he were honest.</p><p>Draco groaned and dragged his hand down his face before sauntering over to the black cabinet. He poured himself a glass of Firewhiskey and swallowed it down just as quickly. Her face when she was healing him, her pink cheeks when he'd brushed those curls back, the softness of her arm between his fingers, the way those shorts left little to the imagination. All of it flashed continuously behind his lids. Taunting him. Making him question everything. When he poured another glass, a knock came at his door.</p><p>He rolled his eyes and wandlessly opened it. The click of Blaise’s shoes entered the empty room and Draco sipped on his drink.</p><p>“Draco,” Blaise started calmly. “Pansy, Theo, Astoria, and I have been waiting for over an hour at the restaurant. Care to tell us why you didn’t show?”</p><p>Draco spun on his heel, and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the company of the three extra Slytherins. He groaned and slammed the glass down.</p><p>“For fuck’s sake,” he sighed. “Why are you all here?”</p><p>“I told you–”</p><p>“I know that,” he snapped. “I just mean why did you all come?”</p><p>“Because Draco,” Pansy spoke up as she walked forward and perched on the arm of one of his sofas. “Just because you miss dinner doesn’t mean you get to miss our presence.”</p><p>“I was forced to come,” Theo said and swaggered up to the black cabinet Draco was at. Draco glared at the wizard as he made himself welcome to Draco’s alcohol. “But I did miss your ugly face.”</p><p>“Oh please,” Astoria chimed in with a smile. “Theo was the one who insisted.”</p><p>“Hm, doubtful.” Theo threw back a glass of whiskey. “You’re the one who’s eager to get in his pants. Just ask Pansy, she’ll tell you it’s not worth it.”</p><p>“Hey!” Pansy crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Theo. Astoria blushed and merely shook her head at him before offering Draco a smile.</p><p>“Could you all kindly get the fuck out?” Draco said with a huff as he put some distance between him and Theo. Blaise chuckled and threw an arm around the blonde’s shoulders.</p><p>“Not likely to happen, mate. Now, tell us what’s been going on.”</p><p>“I’d rather not,” he grumbled.</p><p>“Oh, come on.” Pansy patted the seat next to the arm rest. “You know we’re the only ones you can vent to about things that involve your Gryffindor friends.”</p><p>“I don’t need to vent, Parkinson.” Regardless of his statement, he collapsed into Pansy’s suggest spot. She smiled and stroked his hair when he did so. Astoria was quick to take the spot next to him, even though she pretended to be casual about it.</p><p>Theo snorted and came to sit in a chair diagonal from them, while Blaise sat right on Draco’s glass coffee table in front of him. Draco hated the attention that was on him, but he couldn’t blame his friends for trying when he hardly provided any details on his own.</p><p>“So,” Theo said with a sip. “What’s eatin’ at ya’?”</p><p>“Nothing,” Draco sighed. When Pansy tugged his hair on a particularly rough stroke, he decided to give into their nagging. “I’m just struggling with a case is all.”</p><p>“The same one you’ve been on?” Blaise asked.</p><p>“Yeah, we haven’t gotten any progress. Except now…” Draco drifted off, realizing everything else he had to say would involve a particular person. One he hadn’t told his friends about.</p><p>“What?” Pansy questioned.</p><p>“Well, it’s just that Potter’s friend returned.”</p><p>“Which one?” Theo rose an eyebrow.</p><p>“Granger.”</p><p>“Merlin, you’re kidding?” Pansy gasped. Astoria and her exchanged a glance. “After all this time? Is she staying with Potter and Weasley?”</p><p>“Yeah, she is.” Draco was hesitant. He didn’t know why. But he could feel himself be put on guard. “Anyways, she’s on the case with us now and she’s come up with a way we might get more information.”</p><p>“Of course she has,” Theo scoffed. Draco’s eyes flashed to him and they narrowed. “I mean she <i>is</i> the brightest witch of our age.”</p><p>“Not mine,” Astoria commented. Draco rolled his eyes.</p><p>“Well let’s just say she’s the brightest witch out of a lot of ages, Greengrass. I mean she did help Potter win the War.”</p><p>Theo chuckled, and Draco knew it was because the wizard with the mousy brown hair really didn’t like Astoria. Sometimes Draco even wondered why she was a part of their group of friends considering they’d never really hung out with her. Daphne was more likely to be a part of it, but she sort of hated Draco since he supposedly led her on in Fifth Year. To be honest, he couldn’t even remember batting an eye in her direction.</p><p>“So, that’s a good thing then?” Blaise steered the conversation back on track. Draco was thankful for that, even if he really didn’t want to talk at all.</p><p>“I suppose so,” he sighed.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?” Pansy asked.</p><p>“She’s just,” Draco started before he could stop himself, “a lot. It’s hard to work with her when she doesn’t trust me.”</p><p>“Well she can fuck off–” Theo began to rant, but was cut off by Draco.</p><p>“No, she has every right. She doesn’t know me. The last time I saw her I was walking over to the Dark Lord’s side.”</p><p>They all tensed at the mention of the person who’d been so present throughout their lives. Astoria cleared her throat and shifted next to Draco. Moved her leg slightly closer to his.</p><p>“Fair enough,” Blaise spoke up. “Is she being hateful towards you, though?”</p><p>“No,” Draco let loose a small laugh, then sobered up at the thought. “But I was attacked this morning.”</p><p>“What?” Pansy stiffened and stopped her hair stroking. “What happened?”</p><p>“Some Aurors tricked me,” he said tersely. “I thought I was being called in, but it was an attack. I managed to fight them off enough to Disapparate, but they got me pretty bad. Luckily, I had taken myself to Potter’s place and Granger fixed me up. Potter took care of them… though I wish he hadn’t.”</p><p>“Granger healed you?” Pansy said at the same time as Blaise said “What do you mean you wish he hadn’t?,” Astoria said “Are you sure you’re okay?,” and Theo said “I’ll fucking kill them, give me their names.”</p><p>“I’m fine,” Draco huffed. “Yes, Granger healed me. I told you, she doesn’t hate me, she just still doesn’t trust me. No, I won’t be giving you their names, Theo. For the same reason I wish Potter didn’t interfere every time something like this happens. I can fight my own fights.”</p><p>“Obviously not,” Theo scoffed. “You had to get healed by a bloody Mud–”</p><p>“Hey!” Draco shot forward in his seat, glaring at him. “Watch your mouth.”</p><p>“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Habit.”</p><p>Draco rolled his eyes and stood, feeling smothered by the two women. He paced in front of the fireplace and they all watched him.</p><p>“I was caught off guard, it was four in the morning, I hadn’t slept, and it was three against one.”</p><p>“Three against one?” Pansy exclaimed. Draco merely nodded and Blaise frowned.</p><p>“Well, I for one am thankful for Potter,” Blaise said. “If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t even have this job. If it weren’t for him, by best friend would probably be dead by now.”</p><p>The rest of the Slytherins nodded, leaving Draco to stand there in front of them and feel guilty. He exhaled deeply and ran a hand through his already tousled hair. Blaise was right. He was, as always, the voice of reason that Draco needed every now and then.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry to those who were patiently waiting for an update. Lots going on right now with midterms and work. I will keep trying to update as soon as possible. I am very excited for this fic and have big plans for it. :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter Six</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For a moment, Draco just stared. Stared at the way Hermione’s lashes fluttered when a breeze of wind made its way past Draco’s shoulders and brushed against her face. Stared at her brown curls, smooth now that she knew how to tame them and appearing so incredibly soft. Draco remembered the one time he had the chance to touch them, brush them out of her face, and envied the moment.</p>
<p>Hermione had been the one to sit close to him this time, her knee pressing into his outer thigh as he simply angled his body towards her. She was excited, as she had told him she’d been practicing on her Occlumency.</p>
<p>It’d been a few days since Draco’s eventful morning, and work had been much the same. Much of nothing. Draco decided to come over for dinner Wednesday, and Hermione pulled him from the kitchen before he’d even taken two steps in. The backyard of Potter’s house was serene, a good place to concentrate, without holding all the possibilities of his flat.</p>
<p>Hermione’s brown eyes opened and Draco was caught in them. He felt his body warm and cleared his throat.</p>
<p>“Are you going to try?” Her voice was quiet, but yet so loud to him.</p>
<p>“Yes,” he huffed. “You’re the one taking your time. I thought you said you’ve already been practicing.”</p>
<p>Honestly, Draco expected an agitated sigh and an angry glare, but what he got was a sight of her pink tongue flitting out and her nose scrunching up before she straightened her back and became serious. He couldn’t hold back the soft chuckle at her childish gesture before bringing a hand up and cradling her chin in his fingers. He couldn’t bring himself to do more than that.</p>
<p>As soon as he locked her eyes in his, he pushed softly into her mind with his own. He was surrounded by beautiful colors, ones he was sure were never present in his own. Draco made his way through her thoughts, noticing she had built up more walls, all identical to the original stone one, with vines interlacing up them. This time, soft pink flowers littered the vines in delicate places. They were so <i>her</i>.</p>
<p>Draco concentrated and picked a wall, pushing with a strong force, one he figured he would have to use considering their last attempt. But she wasn’t ready. Wasn’t prepared for Draco’s strongest move of Legilimency. He heard her gasp as the wall collapsed beneath him, felt her nails dig into his thigh, a move that almost pulled him out of the safety of her mind. But what he saw beyond the wall shocked him. She hadn’t locked it away yet, just built a flimsy wall around it. Something she didn’t really want to push away completely.</p>
<p>He saw himself, in front of Potter’s backdoor, fingers on Hermione’s cheek as he towered over her. He saw the look on his face, one so intense it scared him. His pupils were dilated, taking over the grey, and his lips were slightly parted. Draco hated seeing himself like that, so enamored. Before the memory could move to show more, or to show how she felt, an angry voice sounded behind them.</p>
<p>Draco sucked in air and threw himself out of Hermione’s mind, sliding away from her on the outdoor sofa. Her fingers left his leg as quickly as his left her face. Draco’s head swiveled to find the source, but didn’t have to look far as Ron Weasley came stomping up to them. Hermione gasped again, but this time in excitement.</p>
<p>“Ron!”</p>
<p>“What the bloody hell is he doing so close to you? Oi, Malfoy! You came to blind my other friend, as well?”</p>
<p>Draco rolled his eyes, standing in a quick move as Hermione ran up to the red-head and gave him a hug. Something in Draco snapped, causing his fists to clench, but he managed to tame it before it became anything. Weasley had never been accepting of Draco’s change, nor Draco’s friendship with Harry. In some ways, he didn’t blame him, but he never really liked the idiot to begin with.</p>
<p>“Ron, be nice.” Hermione pulled away from him and looked back at Draco with a hesitant smile. “We were practicing… um something for work.”</p>
<p>“Work?” Even Ron could see the obvious lie Hermione had concocted. Well, she wasn’t lying entirely. But Draco knew it would only worsen Ron’s trust of him if she had told him the complete truth.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Draco spoke up. “Official business. You know, for Aurors.”</p>
<p>Ron didn’t miss Draco’s snide undertone, and even Hermione seemed to notice Draco’s switch to the haughty voice he was so used to using around him. Before she could reprimand, Weasley took a step forward and bared his teeth.</p>
<p>“Watch it, Malfoy.”</p>
<p>“Guys, seriously.” Hermione huffed and walked back towards Draco, pushing on his arm. “Let’s go inside. Dinner should be ready and Harry will be happy to know you came, Ron.”</p>
<p>Something in the way she had returned to Draco and touched him again, even after getting caught by Weasley, made him wordlessly follow her command. Hermione looked slightly surprised as they all made their way in, but Draco was still on edge.</p>
<p>“Ron!” Harry dashed forward and hugged his friend tightly once they entered the kitchen. Ginny was quickly behind him and Draco distanced himself from the group by resting against the table. Hermione looked over at him while the couple asked Ron questions. Draco rose his eyebrow in response, shocked she wasn’t hounding Ron just as much since this was her first time seeing him in so long.</p>
<p>She offered him a smile, one that had a hint of worry behind it, and Draco remembered. The image of her weakly guarded memory made its way back to his mind. He could see it almost as clearly as if he was back in her own thoughts. He swallowed and looked away from her as Ron came to talk to her.</p>
<p>Eventually, they all took their seats at the table, Ron annoyingly taking Draco’s spot across from Hermione. To counter him, Draco sat next to the witch instead, even if he was left with no one to sit across from. Ginny levitated the pans of homemade pizza and plates to the table.</p>
<p>As they ate, Draco noticed Ron talked more about himself to Hermione than he let her talk about her own adventures. But he also noticed that when Ron actually asked her at one point, she said a few words, less than what she had told Draco, and left it at that.</p>
<p>While Ron babbled on, Draco caught sight of Hermione staring at her plate and picking at the crust of her pizza. He could tell something was up with her, whether it was Ron’s appearance or their clumsy Occlumency lesson, he didn’t know. To test the waters, Draco nudged his knee against the side of her leg.</p>
<p>Hermione snapped her head up to him, but he kept looking towards Ron. To make sure she realized it was a purposeful nudge, he left his leg there. Draco felt her shift slightly, but she became engaged in the conversation once again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>------------</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It wasn’t that Hermione didn’t miss her other best friend; in fact, she was very delighted to see the red-head. She just couldn’t stop thinking about her and Draco’s interrupted lesson. He was there. He saw it. She didn’t even think for a second that he would go towards that wall, the one she had just started building the night before. The one she wasn’t sure she wanted to build.</p>
<p>Even with the reassuring touch of his leg under the table, or whatever the gesture had meant, she didn’t know what he was thought about the moment. When he had crashed that wall down, she was unprepared and it had hurt. It was shocking and mind-numbing, and she could distantly still feel the impact. </p>
<p>She had pushed the worrying thoughts away and talked more with Ron when dinner was over and Draco had gone out for a smoke. Eventually, Ron had to leave because he had an early shift, but Hermione noticed that Draco hadn’t come back in.</p>
<p>Harry and Ginny went to clean up, so Hermione decided to go look for him, pulling on her cardigan as she walked out. With a quick scan around the garden, she could see that he wasn’t there. She thought about checking the maze, but the lack of the tell-tale sign of his smoke prevented her.</p>
<p>Hermione really thought about it. Weighed the pros and cons, imagined what would happen and what she would say if she went, and imagined what would happen if she just sucked it up and went to bed. But, before she could make a solid decision, she was already Apparating.</p>
<p>The alley was dark, and much more long without his presence. Quickly, she made her way to the place she knew she shouldn’t have gone to. To the place that had been on her mind ever since she’d come the first time.</p>
<p>But then she was in front of the black door and her hand was lifting in a fist. She hesitated. Only for a second or two. And then she knocked. It was quiet and unsure, but the door opened before she could back out and run.</p>
<p>Draco stood in the doorway in a faded gray t-shirt, one that clung to just the right place and hung loose to still show the casualness of it. Hermione’s eyes were drawn lower, to the black jogger sweatpants that drifted low on his hipbones and met black-socked feet. Something warmed inside her at the sight of him so laid back, but still so perfect.</p>
<p>“Granger?” One of his hands flew up to his hair, messing it about. She drew in her bottom lip between her teeth and tried to think of something to say. Tried to come up with an excuse. “What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>“You didn’t say goodbye,” she finally said, voice low. It was a childish response, one that didn’t even make sense to her. He didn’t owe her a goodbye. She was just scared of what he thought about her memory. </p>
<p>But Draco didn’t laugh. His brow furrowed and he took in her disheveled cardigan over her mustard sundress. She shifted under his gaze.</p>
<p>“You’re right…” he said as if he just remembered. “I was trying to get out of there.”</p>
<p>“Why?” she asked too quickly.</p>
<p>He sighed and looked over her shoulder before stepping back and motioning her inside. Hermione didn’t want to step over that threshold though. She was scared of what would happen. Remembered what happened the last time they had been left alone in a house.</p>
<p>Regardless of her mind’s warning signs, she walked into his flat. It was just as perfect as the last time she’d been there, not a mess in sight aside from a lone bowl of half-eaten cereal on the coffee table. She smiled at that.</p>
<p>Draco closed the door and walked past her, collapsing onto his sofa and pulling the bowl to him. He munched on the cereal as he watched her hesitate. She settled in front of the fireplace, taking a seat on the marble stone. </p>
<p>“Was it because of me?” Hermione didn’t know how else to bring up the unanswered question again. Draco dropped his spoon in the bowl and set it back on the table, leaning forward and looking at her in confusion.</p>
<p>“No,” he replied. “Weasley has never accepted me, and every time he comes over, I feel uncomfortable. Like I’m intruding on his and Potter’s friendship. I just wanted to leave. Sorry about not saying goodbye, I didn’t even realize.”</p>
<p>Hermione scoffed softly, looking down at her bare legs, which were crossed at the knee. Of course he wasn’t as much in his head about his interactions with her as she was. The memory he unveiled from her probably wasn’t even something he had thought about twice.</p>
<p>“Why?” Draco eventually interrupted her over-thinking.</p>
<p>“I just thought…” Hermione hesitated, and then laughed briefly. “Nothing.”</p>
<p>She stood then, brushing imaginary dust off the back of her dress. Draco’s eyes followed her movements, but she tried to avoid looking back at him. “I’ll be leaving then.”</p>
<p>“Wait,” Draco stood, as well. Hermione carefully met his gaze and he furrowed his brow. “What did you come over here for?”</p>
<p>“It’s nothing,” she said. “I mean… I’m not really sure.”</p>
<p>“Granger,” he warned. “Tell me.”</p>
<p>“No.” Hermione bit the inside of her cheek and turned towards the door, making her way to it. Before she could even touch the handle, a pale hand slammed against the frame. She gasped, suddenly aware of his presence behind her.</p>
<p>Draco’s ragged breaths reached the crook of her neck and sent shivers to her toes. Hermione stayed staring at the black paint of her escape. She could tell how close he was without having to see.</p>
<p>“What were you going to say?” he whispered. Hermione slowly turned to look at him, stumbling back into the door when she saw his face was inches away. She breathed slowly before deciding to answer him, gaining the courage to do so.</p>
<p>“I thought you were angry because of the Occlumency lesson.” She watched as the black in his eyes shrunk slightly and the grey became sincere.</p>
<p>“Why would you think that?” Draco asked. “We didn’t even get to finish.”</p>
<p>“I know,” Hermione sighed. “But my memory…”</p>
<p>“Oh,” he said. His arm dropped and Hermione felt fear crawl its way up her stomach. “Right.”</p>
<p>Draco turned on his heel and began to walk away from her. Panic fogged her brain, her rational reason. Hermione leaped forward and caught the tips of his fingers in her own. Draco froze as quickly as she did. Slowly, his head turned back towards her and she swallowed the lump in her throat. </p>
<p>“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t lock it away.”</p>
<p>He looked solemnly at her, twitched his lips, and then fully faced her. Hermione dropped his fingers and held her hand in her own, feeling the warmth of where she had touched him.</p>
<p>“I was just practicing with memories.” Hermione suddenly decided to defend herself, unsure of his reaction. “It was meaningless, really.”</p>
<p>“Meaningless?”</p>
<p>“Well,” she hesitated. “I just–”</p>
<p>“No,” he laughed humorlessly. “I get it”</p>
<p>“You do?” Hermione asked hopefully.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Draco said and stepped towards her again. “I know what you felt in that moment.”</p>
<p>“What?” she asked, confused. He kept walking towards her, but the darkness in his voice caused her to mimic his steps backwards until she hit the door again. It was like they were in a dance, and she didn’t know which one of them would survive.</p>
<p>“It wasn’t anything more than natural,” he took the last step, “human,” grazed a hand up her arm, dragging the sleeve of her cardigan with it, “<i>desire</i>,” and gripped her waist tightly with his other hand.</p>
<p>Hermione gasped, feeling everything at once. The deepness of his voice radiated through her, his dilated pupils saw into her, and the firmness of his hands ignited things in her she didn’t know she had. Draco leaned down and Hermione felt her breath shallow out until his pointy nose brushed against her freckled one.</p>
<p>She couldn’t describe it as anything other than butterflies when Draco pressed himself into her, every point of his body digging into her, and lifted the hand from her arm to her cheek. His long fingers buried themselves into her curls and she couldn’t help but to notice how gentle he was despite his firm actions.</p>
<p>“D-Draco,” Hermione stuttered. “What are you–”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry,” Draco muttered darkly. He looked at her with the most wicked expression in his eyes, and she knew. She recognized the old him so instantly, it shook her to the core. “It’s meaningless.”</p>
<p>Draco’s hand dropped from her waist to her exposed thigh, his bottom fingers gripping her thigh and his top fingers grabbing a hold of the hem of her dress. Hermione, despite herself, felt heat rise low in her belly as the harsh pressure of his fingers dug into her skin. The cool of his rings were the only thing keeping her sane, and she found the idea of them ironic considering their last appearance on her thigh, an indication of how safe she felt with him. But that was long gone.</p>
<p>Hermione’s brow came together angrily and she shoved the tall wizard back. Draco’s hands fell from her body and she felt relief and frustration at the same time. </p>
<p>“Malfoy,” she sternly spoke his last name once again. “I don’t know what your issue is, but if you’re still trying to prove yourself trustworthy, I’d say you’re doing a pretty shite job at it.”</p>
<p>Draco remained silent, head turned to the side and chest heaving. Hermione was conflicted on how to feel, because the man she saw now was obviously broken, but it didn’t excuse his actions. Actions she wanted to mean something when all he was doing was intentionally hurting her.</p>
<p>“I was just showing you what your memory meant to you, Granger.” Draco looked at her once again, but his eyes settled on her hairline rather than meeting her brown ones. “Sorry if I took it too far.”</p>
<p>“No,” she scoffed. “You only took it too far with your cruel intentions. You know what you were doing, Malfoy. Just admit my words hurt you.”</p>
<p>“Why would they hurt me?” he spat. “Just because you want some prince to sweep you off your feet and treat you far too gently, doesn’t mean you have to play the victim with me. Wake up to reality, Granger.”</p>
<p>“Malfoy, stop!” Hermione crossed her arms tightly across her torso. “You have no idea what I want, for starters. And I’m not playing the victim. I’m showing you where you went wrong.”</p>
<p>“I think I know where I went wrong,” he laughed darkly. Hermione looked at him in confusion, but Draco was quick to let his face turn stone cold and expressionless. “Get out.”</p>
<p>“What?” Hermione let out a shaky breath. Draco’s features didn’t budge.</p>
<p>“Leave,” he said. “Now.”</p>
<p>Hermione felt the pang before she could stop it. Before she could tell herself that it didn’t matter what he said and did because she didn’t even fully trust him yet. This was to be expected. She tightened her fists in the sides of her dress before uncrossing her arms. But it did matter… because she did trust him. Far more than she should have.</p>
<p>Her pride forced her not to say another word, not to beg for him to explain himself. She nodded slowly, expectedly, and walked out of Draco Malfoy’s flat.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <i>Draco was running his hands up her sides, stopping to grip her bare thighs. Rings made indentions that she wanted tattooed on her body. His scent – cedar, smoke, and mint – filled her thoughts until she couldn’t think properly. There was an emptiness, a longing, that resided just between their bodies. Hermione wanted nothing more than to just wrap her legs around him, but the moment shifted into another.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Hermione stood two feet too far from Draco, who was void of any of the emotion she had seen from him over the time she’d gotten to know him. A new ache formed in her, one that just wanted to see him smile at her, to see his beautiful grey eyes watch her purposefully.</i>
</p>
<p><i>Draco’s full lips spoke far too quickly, far too harshly. The words</i> get out <i>echoed around Hermione far too many times until she was shoved out of the vision by them.</i></p>
<p>Hermione woke up with a gasp and a cold sweat. She scrambled into a sitting position, feeling like she would choke on her own saliva. The room was still dark and her soft blanket was tangled around her limbs. She shoved it off aggressively and slid out of the bed.</p>
<p>Her hands came up to push the sticky curls out of her face and grip them to her scalp as she stared out her window. The moon taunted her with its brightness and beauty as it stared down at her through the glass. She looked down at her legs, the ones that still felt his hands there, and she could make out his imprints. Hermione swallowed and pushed the memories of the dream, or rather the reality, away.</p>
<p>She would have to go to work tomorrow. Act like everything was okay. A part of her wondered what he would do, if he would say anything. But she couldn’t rely on that part because she didn’t even know where that part had come from. Why it had decided to begin to lock away that specific memory. Why it grabbed his hand in a moment of weakness. Why it cared whether he meant his actions or not. Why it craved for them to be real.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter Seven</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hermione pondered for way too long on what she would wear for the day. So much so that Harry came to knock on her bedroom door to tell her they needed to leave if they wanted to get to work on time and still get coffee. She had told him to go ahead and grab the coffee without her. Five minutes before she should have been in Harry’s office, she decided on a pair of black, high-waisted slacks that cinched at the top with a matching belt. Tucked into them was a short-sleeved, russet top. Hermione grabbed a long and thin black trench coat before stepping into the fireplace.</p><p>Her black heels clicked as she walked the halls of the Ministry. A fellow Auror, one she had learned the name of pretty quickly since he seemed to always be around, stopped her just at the end of the hallway that held Harry’s office.</p><p>“Hermione,” he smiled. “Good morning!”</p><p>“Oh, hello Finneas.”</p><p>“How have you been?” His stance seemed to be looming over her, and not in the way she had come to favor from a certain white blonde.</p><p>“Just great, thanks.” Hermione fidgeted her hands in the pockets of her coat. “I’m actually running late, so I better check in with Harry.”</p><p>“Oh, of course! Sorry!” Finneas flashed his teeth one last time before letting her pass him. Hermione huffed quietly and continued on. She opened the door without a knock and let it close behind her as she caught the eye of Draco first.</p><p>He held her shocked stare for all of two seconds before giving her a once over and looking away. Harry stepped back from the bulletin board and looked at her.</p><p>“Made it alright, ‘Mione?”</p><p>Hermione twitched the corner of her lip slightly up before shrugging out of her coat and throwing it on one of the chairs.</p><p>“Yes,” she sighed. “Although I thought Finneas was placed in the hallway just to make me a tad more late than I already am. Sorry about that.”</p><p>“Finneas?” Harry mused.</p><p>“Yeah,” Hermione replied slowly. “The Auror.”</p><p>“Oh, right. Yes, he’s been hanging around more than usual lately.”</p><p>Draco snorted but continued to stare at the board. Hermione rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms. She hadn’t been sure how this day was going to go, but she could tell she was itching for a fight with him. His words the night before still ached from where they had been burnt into her memory.</p><p>“Something the matter, Malfoy?”</p><p>“Not at all, Granger.” Draco was smooth in his retort, but he still didn’t bother to look at her again. Hermione was somewhat grateful for this, as it gave her a moment to take in his appearance. The way his all black suit fit him in just the right places, how he had taken off his own jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his black dress shirt, and how his tattoos looked just delectable against his pale skin. “Just don’t see how hard it is to get yourself here on time.”</p><p>Hermione was yanked out of her appreciative examination of him and back into her fuming anger. Harry looked ready to intervene but she was already crossing her arms.</p><p>“Excuse me?” she scoffed. “If I recall correctly, you aren’t always the earliest.”</p><p>“But I still beat the clock, darling.”</p><p>Hermione fidgeted in her angry stance at the term of… could it really be called endearment if he was using it so spitefully? Regardless of his tone, it made her feel something that questioned her resolve to hate him.</p><p>“Guys,” Harry interrupted. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two right now, or why you all of the sudden have lost your cordialness, but can we please focus?”</p><p>Hermione looked at her best friend and seemed to notice the lines of stress on his face for the first time. She nodded begrudgingly and uncrossed her arms. Draco still made no moves.</p><p>“Now, how’s the side operation of your Occlumency lessons going?”</p><p>She looked to Draco again, waiting for him to reply. After all, she was the student in this situation. She really didn’t know how he viewed her progress after the events of yesterday.</p><p>“She’s,” Draco cleared his throat, “improved.”</p><p>Hermione sucked in a breath and watched the way the blonde clenched his fists at this sides. It was killing him to admit that she was good at it. She couldn’t really understand why. Didn’t know if it was because it was something he had mastered that not every wizard could, or if it was because of what her excelling in the technique meant for their situation.</p><p>“That’s great!” Harry beamed. “Right?”</p><p>“It’s supposed to be,” Hermione said. Draco looked at the ceiling and Harry appeared confused. </p><p>“So,” he continued. “Are you guys going to make the Vow anytime soon?”</p><p>“No.” Draco spoke before Hermione could even completely process Harry’s question.</p><p>“What?” she asked in disbelief. “Why not?”</p><p>“Because,” he said and turned to finally look at her again. “You’re not ready.”</p><p>“We’ll not completely, but you said yourself that I’m getting better. If I keep showing that improvement we should just go ahead and make the Vow and I can continue to work on it. We need this information as soon as possible.”</p><p>“I just don’t see how you think you’re going to view the information any differently than me. There’s nothing in it that can help the case.”</p><p>“Malfoy we talked about this,” Hermione took a step closer. “I can view it differently. You are more emotionally tied to the information. I can look at it from a different perspective and the chances of it having something that will help us are extremely high. We need everything we can get at this point.”</p><p>Harry looked at Draco curiously, but the tall wizard walked to the desk and sat on the edge, huffing in agitation.</p><p>“Draco,” Harry started. “Why are you turning back on the plan?”</p><p>“I’m not,” he growled. Hermione watched him as he stared at his shoes and twisted his lips repeatedly. “She’s just not ready yet.”</p><p>Draco seemed intent at leaving the conversation at that, so Hermione watched Harry struggle to change topics. His green eyes landed on the clock and then lit up. </p><p>“I completely forgot!” he exclaimed. “I have a meeting with the Auror Trainee Program director. Head Auror duties call, but could you guys please get along and try to work on the case as much as you can? I’ll be back in about thirty minutes or so.”</p><p>Hermione nodded, but secretly wanted to kill him for leaving her with Draco on today of all days. Harry smiled gratefully at her and then left them to themselves. Hermione swallowed and walked up to the board to try to find something to both distract her from Draco and to help with the case.</p><p>Harry hadn’t been gone for more than two minutes when she heard Draco’s quiet steps come close to her. Hermione tensed up, but kept her eyes trained on news clippings. She could practically feel him standing right behind her. Despite herself, all she could think of was the night before. His hands running down her body, gripping parts of her that she had never felt touched by another before. </p><p>Well, that was a lie. Her short adventures with Viktor Krum provided her the experience of her first time, but she couldn’t recall ever feeling how she felt under Draco’s hands. He was gentler, while still being firm. It was refreshing, and oh so agonizing.</p><p>“Granger,” Draco’s voice rumbled down the side of her face, trickling in her ear, and vibrating the pulse in her throat. “I’m honestly surprised I didn’t get a lecture from Potter this morning and that you even showed up.”</p><p>Hermione scoffed and slipped her hands in her pockets. With an agitated move, she flicked her hair back with a swift head movement and felt the weight of hit his chest. She chewed her cheek for a moment.</p><p>“You can’t scare me away from my job, Malfoy. Besides, Harry isn’t my dad. I’m not going to run and tattle-tell that you were a right arse last night.”</p><p>“Oh, was I?” he mused. “How so?”</p><p>“How so?” she laughed incredulously and spun around. Hermione did her best not to seem phased at having to train her eyes so far up in order to meet his, at the fact that his warmth was oddly comforting despite the situation. “I think we both remember how last night went. We don’t need to hash out the details. Honestly, I don’t even expect an apology from you.”</p><p>“Then what is it that you want?” Draco’s grey eyes were stormy. A mixture of anger and confusion brewed there, and she wanted nothing more than to make them clear.</p><p>“I don’t <i>want</i> anything,” she said anyways.</p><p>“Oh really?” he smirked devilishly. “Nothing you want to… repeat?”</p><p>As he spoke, his long fingers slid their way around the crook of her waist until his thumb met the flat of her stomach and he squeezed. Hermione gasped at the small movement, felt the fire reignite within her. This man would be nothing but trouble for her.</p><p>“Nope,” she replied sternly. Draco rose one eyebrow, his cockiness overwhelming his features as he brought his other hand up to stroke some of her curls behind her ear. Hermione’s breath stuttered, and she took the intimate moment to examine the features of his face.</p><p>The point of his nose was strong, but still delicate enough to be attractive. It framed the other points of his face. The high cheekbones, the firm jaw, his full lips, his perfect eyebrows. His lashes complimented the color of his eyes so well, she was caught there for a moment before she was drawn to the parting of his lips. White teeth peeked through, and when the tip of his tongue dashed out to lick his lips just barely, Hermione was undone.</p><p>“Draco,” she whispered. She wasn’t aware of her speech anymore, instead she was captivated by this cruel, but undeniably beautiful man in front of her. She didn’t even have control over her next words. “Please don’t.”</p><p>“What?” Draco’s accent came out thick as he seemed just as shocked as her. </p><p>“I just,” she sighed. Hermione blinked and looked down at his chest. “I’m not here to play games, Malfoy. I don’t want you to do something you’ll immediately regret and hate me for. What you said… last night… I won’t deny. There is, as you put it, desire. But I didn’t mean to say that my memory of you was meaningless…”</p><p>“Granger,” Draco groaned. “Don’t be so literal about this. I’m a man, you’re a woman, and we’ve both been without someone for a while now… I think we can both see why this has occurred.”</p><p>Hermione was shocked at the turn in their situation, but she wouldn’t deny that she was interested to see how this would play out. Draco suddenly fisted her hair in his hand and tugged her head back. Hermione gasped and swallowed the lump that suddenly appeared in her exposed throat.</p><p>“The question is,” he continued in a darkened voice as he lowered his head. “Can you keep this as just that?”</p><p>Hermione knew what he was asking of her. Was shocked he had chosen her out of all people. The Mudblood. A last resort. The way she saw it, Draco Malfoy could have any girl he wanted with his outstanding genetics and encompassing wealth. So, what was the catch?</p><p>Before she could form these thoughts into words, she felt his delectably soft lips latch onto her throat, just on the pulse. Hermione couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her as he kissed there, his perfectly pointy nose nuzzling under her jaw. Her hands flew to his arms, felt the tingles run down her body in unimaginable ways. Draco sucked her skin slightly before sinking his sharp teeth into the delicate spot. Hermione let out a sound she never thought she was capable of, one that was a mix between a moan and a gasp. His tongue dashed out to smooth the tortured spot gently.</p><p>Just when Hermione was about to wrap herself around the tall man and climb him like a tree, he pulled away. She hadn’t even done anything and she was breathless as he looked down at her with darkened eyes.</p><p>“So, what do you say?” Draco’s lips glistened as he still held onto her waist, while the hand that was in her hair trailed down her back. It took a moment for Hermione to come back to her senses, but once she did, she remembered why she was so hesitant.</p><p>“Why me?” she asked tentatively. “You could have anyone. I’m your childhood enemy, a thing that used to disgust you. What would your family think?”</p><p>“In case you haven’t noticed,” he laughed humorlessly, “very few people want anything to do with an ex-Death Eater. As for you being my childhood enemy, I think I’m more worried about why <i>you</i> would want anything to do with <i>me</i>. And I don’t give a shit what my family thinks. My father’s in prison and my mother’s half-crazy. They’ve controlled enough of my life.”</p><p>Hermione was caught off guard at his response. At the passion behind it. The fact that she was still in his hands is what made her open up to him in response.</p><p>“I’m sure the Pureblood families have daughters eager to get their hands on you… Besides, I think we’ve established that I trust you now. The issue isn’t our past… it’s who we are now. I’m not sure who you are…”</p><p>“Granger,” Draco huffed and released her much to her dismay. He threw his hands into his hair as he walked away from her to pace the office. “I don’t care about blood anymore. Don’t you get that? I don’t want them. I want…”</p><p>Hermione’s breathing escalated as he left the sentence hanging in the dense air. Her fists clenched at her sides as she watched his long legs swing in front of each other as he made it to the other side of the office.</p><p>“I’m no longer that boy, Granger.” Draco stood with his back to her, his shirt stretching against the muscles there. Hermione pushed aside her thoughts of common sense and consequences as she walked towards him. </p><p>When she was just behind him, she delicately and shyly let her hands run up his spine until they reached his shoulders and rested there. The tension there seemed to release and she watched as he turned his head slightly to look at her from the corner of his eyes.</p><p>“Okay,” she spoke up quietly. “What are your terms?”</p><p>Draco spun around smoothly but quickly, his hands finding her waist once again. He pulled her forward until her body was flush against his. Her own hands moved up to cradle the back of his neck as he leaned dangerously close to her.</p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked darkly. They were so close that Hermione had to flit her eyes back and forth between his. The grey in them overcame her and when she felt the tip of his nose brush against her own, she shuddered out a breath she had been holding.</p><p>“Positive,” Hermione whispered.</p><p>Draco licked his lips, sending butterflies loose in her stomach, which was much too aware of his groin pressing into it. His face brushed past hers, cheekbones cutting into her temple as he moved closer to whisper in her ear.</p><p>“This stays between us,” he began. Hermione was slightly nervous about this one, but she understood why. She nodded very slightly, which caused his soft lips to graze her ear lobe. She gasped when he caught it between his teeth and tugged slightly.</p><p>“No strings attached,” Draco continued once he released her ear. The thought of there being strings at all seemed impossible to Hermione. It wasn’t until he had pointed it out the night before that she realized the reason for her sudden and strange attraction to him. Of course, it was hard not to be attracted to the most handsome man in the wizarding world. But it was desire, inevitable and long-lost desire, that made her think about him much more than she should have.</p><p>“Definitely not,” she murmured as his hands slid their way around her back until they met the opposite sides of her waist and squeezed. His arms were fully around her now as he nuzzled into her hair and made his way to her other ear.</p><p>“We’re free to be with others as long as we tell each other,” he hummed against the shell of her ear. Hermione was curious about this one, especially considering his previous speech. “For your benefit more than mine.”</p><p>Hermione pulled her head back as much as she could to meet his eyes, which were more black than grey at this point. He quirked an eyebrow at her as she pursed her lips.</p><p>“So, we’re both free to date others while this goes on?” Hermione asked for clarification.</p><p>“Unless one of us doesn’t want this to go on while we are,” Draco confirmed. Hermione thought about the terms for a few seconds before she nodded firmly and let her fingers drift into his silky hair. Draco’s eyes fell to her lips, and when Hermione tugged on the strands of his hair, they fluttered close. </p><p>Soon, their noses were brushing against each other again and Hermione felt her own eyes start to close as their hot breaths met each other through their parted lips. But just before she could finally get a taste of what she had just signed up for, the door clicked open.</p><p>Draco threw Hermione back in such a swift move, she almost fell until she caught herself against one of the chairs. Harry walked in to see them like that. Draco against the wall, in a seemingly casual stance, and Hermione leaning on the chair in an awkward hunch.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Harry asked with a raised eyebrow. “You two didn’t fight, did you?”</p><p>Draco snorted and Hermione wanted to punch him, but then the tall blonde was striding across the room to grab his jacket.</p><p>“Not yet,” he replied. “But I do have to leave early today. Hope you don’t mind, Potter. It is for your Bachelor party, after all.”</p><p>Hermione’s eyes widened and she felt a massive wave of guilt wash over her. Draco saw her sudden change in expression and faltered in his steps.</p><p>“Wait,” she spoke over a swallow. “What day is it?”</p><p>“The tenth, Granger” Draco narrowed his eyes and looked between her and Harry, who seemed to already know what she was thinking.</p><p>“You didn’t plan anything for Ginny, did you?”</p><p>“No!” Hermione spoke up quickly. “I did… it just hasn’t been in the works. I didn’t realize how close we were to the wedding already…”</p><p>“‘Mione,” Harry groaned. “My Bachelor party is tonight, so I suggest you figure something out quick. You have permission to take the rest of the day off to get it done.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Harry! Thank you so much, I won’t disappoint!”</p><p>“You better not,” he grumbled. “She’s been excited about it.”</p><p>Hermione nodded and grabbed her coat, following Draco out of the office. Walking with him made her nervous now that she knew what their relationship had turned into. Friends with benefits was the term she was familiar with, but she didn’t even know when they had reached the friend stage. Draco, who could have easily passed her up with his long strides, slowed his pace to hers.</p><p>“That’s not very Granger of you,” he said. Hermione huffed and glared up at him as they made their way down the hall.</p><p>“Shut it, Malfoy.”</p><p>“Hermione!” a voice called from behind them. She stopped and turned to look, noticing Draco do the same.</p><p>“Finneas,” she greeted with slight frustration. This man just did not want her to get things done today. “Sorry, I have to go, I’m in a bit of a rush.”</p><p>“Oh,” he said as he stopped in front of them. The brunette looked from her to Draco, his neck slightly craning back to look up at him. Hermione had to try to not giggle at this. “Well, I was just going to see if you had any plans tonight.”</p><p>Hermione was taken back by Finneas’ sudden advance, but she didn’t have time to think on it. Draco was standing close enough to her that she could feel him tense up.</p><p>“Actually, I do.” Hermione shrugged in apology. “I’ll catch up with you later?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Finneas said hesitantly. “Have fun.”</p><p>Hermione was too anxious about all that she had to do to unwrap his response, so instead she just nodded with a brief smile and turned to leave again. Draco was quick to do the same, walking closer to her, enough for her to feel his arm brush against hers every once in a while.</p><p>“He’s an annoying git,” he muttered.</p><p>“Draco,” Hermione warned. She tried not to analyze his comment as they got on the elevator and made their way out of the Ministry. </p><p> </p><p>---------------</p><p> </p><p>Despite the distraction of his party planning, Draco was entirely consumed by his earlier interaction with Hermione. He couldn’t believe he’d suggested it. Though, if he were honest with himself, he had felt he had nothing left to lose after last night’s actions.</p><p>It was as if Draco wasn’t in control of his own mind when it came to her. He wanted to touch her, so he did. She let him continue to touch her, so he did. This morning was entirely a product of the thoughts that played out as he had tried to sleep the night before. </p><p>Draco never expected Hermione to agree. Never expected for them to be where they were now. The only thing Draco was certain in was their terms. He didn’t want this to become anything more than what it was. He was honest in the fact that he craved exactly what Hermione could offer.</p><p>Pansy was a thing of his past, though they remained good friends, and all of the other women he knew that still talked to him were also a part of the Pureblood families. To be completely truthful, he was done with that lot unless it came to his small group of Slytherin friends.</p><p>Aside from the technical facts, there was something about the witch that drew him in. He was <i>attracted</i> to her, despite his past aversions. Though, if he really looked back on himself, there was never an aversion at all. </p><p>But then he <i>almost</i> kissed her. Almost tasted her beautiful, full lips. The nerves that he would never display racked up in him at that moment. He was almost thankful for Potter’s ignorant entrance. Draco could relish in the texture of her soft neck and the taste of her delectable skin for now. Could picture the smell of her strawberry-scented hair enough to hold him over.</p><p>He had a duty tonight, as a best man, to make sure Harry had a great party. The hardest task on his to-do list would be having to talk to the Weasley. At least he could think about how Granger let him hold her delicate frame while he did so. It would boost his ego just to know that the girl Weasley couldn’t get had agreed to let Draco do unspeakable things to her. If he was ever given the chance.</p>
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